Love and Marriage
by TStabler
Summary: It seems everyone around her is getting married, and she has planned all of their weddings. Olivia is in the middle of planning another one, the most important, when the relationships around her start to fall apart. Does wedded bliss exist? F/Mel A/T E/O?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: A new one. A short prologue, for a n idea that's been floating around in my head for a while. Enjoy?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Olivia's alarm bleeped at five-thirty. She was up, showered, dressed, and pouring coffee by five-fifty. She dialed a number on her cell phone as she slipped on some lip gloss. She talked for a moment, slipping off a ring and putting on a watch. Her hair was being pulled into a clip as she babbled into the phone. "I know that, but we got five more RSVP's from people we were sure weren't coming," she said, "So I need you to add five plates and five chairs and...well we're gonna need the bigger room then, won't we?"

She slipped into her heeled boots, zipping them up as she said, "And of course we have six vegetarians now, not just...I'm sorry, I thought I was planning this. You work for me, pal." She tugged her pant legs over her boots and sighed.

She grabbed her gun, a shiny, gold badge, and her coffee, and she walked out of her apartment, locking the door. "Good," she said with a smirk. "Thank you so much," she said. She tapped the phone, ending the call, then dialed another number.

As she talked, she walked, heading toward the police station. "Hello? Did I wake you up? Oh, sorry, normal people are on their way to work right now. Anyway, I need the status on an order. I'll wait," she said, rolling her eyes.

She walked passed a flower shop, stopped to look at the window, scoffed, and walked on. "Benson," she said to the person on the line. "Pink? The dress is pink? No, no, that's...wrong. Very wrong. Benson! Olivia Benson!"

She pulled the door to her building open, holding it as three uniformed officers walked in ahead of her. "Yes! Thank you! Size what? Oh..." she paused, throwing out the coffee in her hand. "Guess I'm on a diet, starting now." She laughed and said, "When can I pick that up?"

She walked up the stairs, into the bullpen, over to the mini fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water. "Oh, wonderful. Thank you." She tapped the screen and took a sip of water, then dialed yet another number. "Hi, this is...yes I know what time it is. You open at six, it's six-oh-four," she said. "I'm checking the status of an order for...of course its flowers. Why would I call a florist if I didn't order flowers?"

"How many is this?" Munch asked, looking at Elliot.

Elliot looked back at him. "What?" he asked.

"This has to be the seventh wedding she's planned this year," he said, folding his arms as he overheard Olivia talking about bouquets. "Casey's, Melinda and Fin's, her friend Charlotte's, Alex and Trevor's..."

"Okay," Elliot laughed, leaning back in his chair. "She's good at it, she gets shit done, and she's got great taste. Her friends trust her, and she looks cute in those little dresses."

"No, you moron, why would I have ordered seven dozen lily pads? I said, lilies!" Olivia yelled into the phone. "Jesus, this wedding isn't taking place in a swamp!"

Munch and Elliot laughed. "You all right there, Baby-Girl?" Fin asked, chuckling as he watched her sit at her desk.

Olivia nodded. She held up a finger and said, "Five weeks, that's...fine, but you're knocking four hundred bucks off the price and you're stuck with all those damned lily pads." She laughed. "Kermit and Piggy already got married, pal. Thanks," she said, hanging up. She sat across from Elliot, at her own desk.

He handed her half of his bagel, but she shook her head and cringed at it. "You...you love these things," he said dejectedly.

"No more carbs," she said, dialing another number. "Or cream cheese. This is gonna suck," she spat.

Elliot narrowed her eyes. "That's ridiculous," he said, "You have, like, the perfect body. Why are you dieting this time?"

She scoffed as he said 'this time' trying to remember the last time she's gone on a diet, and she said, "Dress came in. It's two sizes too small." She held up a finger again and said, "Hi, this is Olivia Benson. I need to know if you've...right, that's it. I need to change it. Just the filling. And the...well...the groom wants cupcakes. He thinks it's cute."

"A groom that likes cute things?" Fin questioned. "I didn't know she knew any gay couples," he chuckled.

Olivia threw a pen at him and glared as she said, "Yes. Tiered. And can we have, like, little spiral staircases of them coming down from the...well, he thinks is no one eats the cake and they cut it it's all gonna go to waste. We can at least pack up leftover cupcakes and...oh, that sounds beautiful."

Elliot saw the look on her face and his heart melted a little. "What?" he asked, just as into it as she was.

She tapped the phone, ending the call, and said, "Three hundred cupcakes, red velvet and cheesecake with pearl cream icing, stacked like a tiered wedding cake. The top tier is gonna be a small cake so there's still that cute moment of cutting the cake and feeding each other."

Elliot laughed. "You're loving this, aren't you?" he asked, shaking his head.

Olivia smiled and nodded as she drank from her bottle of water. "Tuxes," she said. "That's it. Then it's all done."

"All right," Munch said. "I'm not getting married, Cragen's not getting married, Stabler is still reeling from the last marriage, and he's not dating anyone. Who's wedding are you planning, Benson?"

Olivia took a breath. She looked at Elliot, hoping to see some sign, something that would tell her not to say it, but he gave her a curt nod. She turned back to Munch and said, "Mine."

**A/N: Say what? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Confusion and clarification, and the first bump in the road.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"Uh, what?" Fin asked, looking at Olivia with shocked eyes.

"You lied," Elliot said, his eyes narrow.

Olivia turned to him and gave him a look. "Excuse me?" she asked, folding her arms.

"You lied to the cake decorator," he said, smirking. "The groom thinks the cupcakes were a horrible idea, but the groom's thirteen-year-old daughter convinced you that it would be this amazing, original…"

"Yeah," Olivia interrupted. "The groom's daughter, thereby meaning the groom. I didn't lie," she chuckled.

"Back up a minute!" Fin yelled, his eyes dark and serious. "Who the hell…when the fuck did you…you've been engaged for how long?"

Olivia scoffed. She rolled her eyes and said, "A while."

Munch looked at Elliot, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "Did you…did you know about this?"

Elliot nodded. "Gave her my blessing. He's a good guy, ready to give her the world. Apparently, he's also ready to give her three-hundred cupcakes, too." He glared at her and she laughed at him.

"Are the cupcakes really an issue?" she asked, rolling her eyes again. "I'm more concerned about fitting into the damned dress."

"I'm more concerned with how the hell we had no idea you were even dating," Fin cut in. "Who's the guy?" he asked. "Oh, don't tell me, it's Porter?"

Elliot turned toward Fin. "I would have killed her myself," he said. "If she ever even mentions his name around here again I'm gonna lose it."

"Well, who is it?" Munch asked, looking at Olivia.

Olivia grinned. "You're getting invitations, guys, relax," she said, holding up a hand as she answered the phone ringing on her desk.

Elliot sighed, watching her get to work, and he ignored Fin slapping him in the arm as long as he could. "What, man?" he snapped.

"Who is it?" Fin asked, his eyes wide. "Come on, Stabler, you gotta tell us. She's been with the guy for who knows how long…"  
"Officially, almost a year," Elliot said, cutting him off. "Unofficially, almost two, but nobody really knows about any of that, not even…"

"No one knew any of it, anyway!" Fin chuckled.

Elliot smirked. "That's kind of the point," he said with a shrug. "She's a private person, man. Her life outside of these walls is just that. Outside. The only person she even lets into that part of her life is…"

"You," Fin said, his eyes narrowing. "It's you, isn't it?" he whispered.

Elliot was saved from answering when Olivia hung up the phone and got out of her seat. "What?" he asked, sitting up straight, preparing himself.

"That was Melinda," she said. "She's got evidence tying our perp to another Jane Doe."

"Let's go," Elliot said, getting up. He gave Fin a smirk and rolled his eyes as he followed Olivia out of the bullpen. "You really let that florist have it," he said as they waited for the elevator.

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah, well, he ordered lily pads for a wedding," she said. "He deserved it. Are you good with the colors?" she asked.

Elliot pushed the button for the ground floor and said, "I told you to do and get whatever you wanted as long as you weren't making me wear a pink vest." He looked at her and smiled, and said, "This is supposed to be your day, the wedding of your dreams. As long as it's not too far out there, I'm fine with whatever decisions you make."

She smiled back at him and said, "Good, because those cupcakes are costing nine-hundred bucks," she said.

He glared at her. "You'd better be kidding," he said, gritting his teeth.

She laughed as the doors opened and he followed her off as she said, "Would I really pay almost a thousand bucks for pastry?"

"Thank God," he sighed, shaking his head. "You know, you got the whole squad confused and afraid. Fin actually asked if it was me. The man is going nuts."

"Well, that's what we were going for, right?" she asked, walking down the steps to the Medical Examiner's office. "The element of surprise. Nothing is gonna beat the looks on their faces when they get that invitation."

"Cragen's face," Elliot said, disagreeing. "When transfer papers land on his desk in two months."

She looked at him as he hand rested on Melinda's doorknob. "Okay, that might win," she said, nodding. She was about to open the door when Elliot pulled her close and gave her a quick kiss.

"Two months," he said, searching her eyes. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked.

"Marry you or let you transfer?" she asked, tilting her head.

He shrugged as he said, "Both."

She smirked at him and said, "I got a friend trying to find me a way out of one of those things." She winked and opened the door, leaving Elliot confused. "What's up, Mel?" she asked.

Melinda Warner, very irritated and very pregnant, turned toward the two detectives. "Highland's DNA matches fluids I found on this pretty, young thing," she said, gesturing to an unknown, unnamed girl on her table.

Elliot shook his head. "How long has she been down here?" he asked.

"Two days," Melinda said. "TOD, though, is estimated at four-thirty, Tuesday morning."

"Almost a week?" Olivia gasped, wide-eyed. "Where the hell was she, Mel?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Beat cop found her behind a dumpster," Melinda said sadly. "Thought she was homeless, and thought she was asleep. Tried to wake her up when he realized she wasn't breathing. He called it in, it was a straight Homicide case until I finished the exam."

Olivia ran a hand through her hair, cleared her throat, and asked, "Is there any way to ID her?"

Melinda nodded. "She had surgery, from the scarring it was a few years ago. Pin in her wrist has a serial number on it. Until we get her name, though, you're still charging him with murder."

"Obviously," Elliot said, scoffing. He looked sadly at the girl, then took the report Melinda handed him and tugged on Olivia's sleeve.

"Wait," Melinda cried. "Olivia I…can we talk?" she asked, giving her a pleading look.

Olivia turned to look at Elliot. He nodded and said, "I'll go see if Halloran got any prints off the knife." He looked at Olivia and left, giving the girls time alone.

"Olivia," Melinda began, "I need your advice. It's about me and Fin…and the baby."

Olivia narrowed her eyes a little and asked, "You want relationship advice? From me? Are you kidding?"

"I'm not kidding," Melinda said, biting her lip. "I know you're better at relationships that you think, and I know you can help me. You're the only one who can, I mean, the way you handled our wedding was…"

"I can make plans, I am really good at yelling at people," Olivia interrupted. "I've only been in one really stable relationship in my whole life, what could you possibly…"

"Did I make a mistake, marrying a cop?" Melinda asked with closed eyes. "I mean, he's not home a lot as it is, this baby isn't gonna know his father at all, is he?"

Olivia blinked. "Of course he is," she whispered. "What are you talking about?"

"It's what broke up Elliot and Kathy, isn't it?" Melinda asked with a sniffle. "He was never home, he wasn't there for his kids, and she couldn't handle it anymore, right?"

Olivia closed her eyes and smiled. "No, not at all. He's a wonderful father," she said, opening her eyes. "He's never neglected his kids, and when they were separated, she kept them from him. He didn't stay away on purpose. He and Kathy…they had problems that I'm sure you and Fin don't have at all."

"Did they always have those problems? Or did they happen after he became a cop?" Melinda asked, sniffling again. "Olivia, please, I need to…"

"Some of them," Olivia interrupted. "Some problems they had from the beginning, others kind of piled up over the years, but nothing was just because he was a cop, Mel. He's an amazing father, and he's an amazing man. He's an incredible husband," she said, thinking he would be. "Fin's just as amazing."

Melinda scoffed with a smile, rolling her eyes. "Thanks," she said, nodding. "But I can't help feeling like this was all a big mistake. I love him, but I don't know if that's enough." She looked up at Olivia and said, "I think he's cheating on me."

"What?" Olivia gasped. "Mel, he would never do that to you! He loves you, more than anything. How could you even think he would?"

Melinda turned sharply and looked at Olivia. She said, "It's a cop thing. Elliot cheated on Kathy, didn't he?"

Olivia's breath hitched. "What does that have to do with…it wasn't because he's a cop, Mel, it's because he fell in love with someone else. He was having a lot of problems with Kathy and he…he's happy now. Faithful, and supporting, and loving. Kathy…she was cheating on him, too. Neither one of them were…"

"Stop," Melinda said, shaking her head. "I know…I know I'm being ridiculous, but…will you find out for me?" she asked, drying her eyes. "If Elliot can fall in love with someone else without his wife knowing, Fin could."

"Kathy knew," Olivia said. "She knew, Mel. You would know, trust me. But Elliot's not…you can't compare Fin to Elliot. He and Kathy were over before he and…the girl…let themselves get together. It wasn't legal, but it was over. He was faithful, until he absolutely couldn't be anymore, and they both knew it was the right thing for them to do. Fin has always loved you, just you. Believe that."

Melinda scoffed again and said, "Please, Olivia, the only person I can think of that Elliot wouldn't be a complete bastard for cheating on his wife with is…" her head snapped up and she stopped crying. "Oh, my God," she whispered. "You."

**A/N: When does everyone else run to Olivia with their problems? Now, she has one of her own. Can Melinda keep a secret? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Melinda proves how good at keeping secrets she really is, while another friend needs Olivia's help. And Elliot's.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf, this story belongs to TStabler©**

"What was that about?" Elliot asked, biting into a donut. He held it out to her, she gave him a nasty look and he pulled it away slowly. "What'd the donut do to you?" he asked, chewing.

"Diet, remember?" she said. She lowered her voice and said, "Mel thinks Fin's cheating on her."

"What?" he exclaimed, taking another bite of his donut. "That's insane! He would never..."

"That's what I said. Do you have to eat that right in front of me?" she asked, hitting the call button for the elevator. "Where did you even get that thing?"

Elliot chewed, swallowed, and jerked his head backward. "Ryan," he said. "Has about two dozen in the lab. Some intern's birthday," he explained.

"Anyway," she said, shaking her head and stepping into the elevator. "She wants me to talk to him. Oh, and, uh, she kinda figured out that I'm the girl you've been seeing."

"How did talking about Fin lead to that conclusion?" he asked, his eyes narrow.

She chuckled. "She was comparing the two of you, ya know? Cops, cheaters, she was trying to make you into the quintessential cop-asshole. I tried to tell her that it wasn't like that, and she said the only person she couldn't fault you for falling for was me. She just..."

"Great," he scoffed.

"She isn't going to tell anyone," she said, smiling at him. "And she doesn't know we're getting married, she just thinks we're sleeping together."

He bit into his donut and said, through a mouthful, "Yeah, I feel a lot better about that." He rolled his eyes as they walked off of the elevator and he heard her snickering. "It's not funny!" he shouted. "She thinks this is meaningless sex!"

"Oh, that's not what I said, is it?" she replied, rolling her eyes right back.

"Who's having meaningless sex?" a man in front of them asked, smirking.

Elliot growled, his eyes narrowed, he was getting territorial, and he said, "What do you want, Langan?" He knew Trevor was happily married to Alex, but part of him was convinced the man still wanted Olivia.

"Can you curb your dog, Benson?" Trevor Langan, attorney, said with an attitude. "I really don't want him to pee on me," he said, making a face at Elliot.

Elliot growled again and took a step forward. "Oh, you lousy little..."

"You have something on your collar," Langan interrupted, brushing it away. "You got into the trash again, huh? She should really keep you on a leash."

Elliot reared back, ready to punch him, but Olivia cupped her hand around his fist. "Okay, guys! Enough!" She looked at Trevor and asked, "What do you want, Langan?"

"Just here to talk a client," Trevor said snidely.

Olivia's eyes widened. "You can't be...you're actually defending Highland? You son of a bitch!"

Trevor sighed. "Look, Benson. It's my job," he said, defeated. "I don't choose them, they choose me, and they pay me to fight for them, all right? I know he's probably guilty as sin, but between you, me, and these halls, I don't care if I win or lose, the man is giving me a hundred thousand dollars to try like hell to get him off, and I'm going to. I'm sorry I'm not Mister Moral Compass like Stabler over here, but you and I both know his doesn't exactly point true north."

Olivia tightened her grip on Elliot and nodded once, letting Trevor walk into the squad room. "Breathe," she said, turning her head toward Elliot.

"I hate that guy," Elliot said, gritting his teeth as he and Olivia walked into the room after him.

Before they got far, though, Cragen handed them a pink slip of paper and said, "Nineteen year old girl at Mercy, badly neaten. It's bad."

"We're already working on a case, Cap," Elliot said, confused. "You never give us two at once unless..."

"Unless I have to," Cragen interrupted, nodding. "I have to, Elliot. This one's gonna take Olivia's skill with the victim's and you're the best team I've got. Go."

Elliot turned over his shoulder, looked at Olivia, and nodded. He tapped her arm on his way out, getting her to follow him, not taking any chances of touching her in any way that would give away their secret to anyone else.

* * *

While waiting for the rape kit, Elliot held in the laughter as Olivia called several places, still finalizing the arrangements for a wedding no one even knew was happening, and she was really letting her true colors shine through. When she hung up the phone again, he laughed. "You know, you could always quit the unit. You'd make a killing as a wedding planner," he chuckled.

"Oh! Speaking of quitting..." she stopped, dialing another number.

Kathy, Elliot's ex-wife, came up to them then. She was head nurse in the emergency ward, and she had the box of bagged and sealed evidence in her arms. "Elliot," she said with a smile, "Sorry you were waiting so long."

"Not a problem," Elliot said, standing and taking the box. "We didn't really expect her to cooperate. She kicked Olivia out of the room, and no one ever does that, so...we knew she'd be tough in there."

Kathy nodded, then sighed. "How are you?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Can't complain," he said, his lips turning up into a half-smirk as he toyed with the idea of telling her he was getting married. To Olivia. "How are you?" he asked, decided to keep it to himself for now.

Kathy shrugged. "Okay," she said. She looked at Olivia and said, "When she gets off of the phone, will you send her over to the desk? I have to talk to her about something."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "You are not going to start with her, Kathy. Not here."

"No, I'm not," Kathy said, her eyes widening. "I just need to talk to her, Elliot. Not everything is about you, ya know. Am I still bitter that the two of you were fucking behind my back for almost a year? Yes. But I wasn't exactly Mother Teresa where our marriage is concerned, so I've let it go," she explained with a slight growl in her voice.

"Let what go?" Olivia asked, her phone call ended and her mind focused on the conversation going on around her.

Kathy looked at her. "Elliot," she said with a "hmph," and she crooked a finger at Olivia.

Olivia looked at Elliot, her eyes wide with worry and amusement, and she followed Kathy over to the desk. "What?" she asked, resting her elbows on the countertop.

"I need a favor," Kathy said, looking at the brunette whom she'd hated for years. "I know I haven't exactly been nice to you, and you were the other woman long before you actually were, I know that, but I need a favor."

"What?" Olivia asked, furrowing her brow and leaning closer. "This isn't anything that I need to keep from Elliot, is it? You don't need me to run your rape kit or take some kind of statement..."

"No!" Kathy interrupted, shocked, "No, Olivia. Nothing like that. I just, um, I need you talk to him for me. He won't listen to me, and he'd never do anything I ask him to do. Olivia, I need you to convince him to keep the kids for a little bit longer. See, I met this guy..."

Olivia smirked. "Nice," she said, interrupting. "I don't think that'll be a problem, Kathy. How long do you want me to say he needs to..."

"Six months," Kathy said, cutting her off.

"Wow, what the hell kind of date are you going on?" Olivia asked, surprised.

Kathy shook her head. "It's not a date," she said, a smile creeping over her lips. "He wants to take me to Greece, Rome, Paris...a six month European tour! Olivia, I've never met anyone like him, and I feel like this would be my chance to get my life back. Start living it, make up for lost time." She blinked and bit her lip, and asked, "You'll ask him, won't you?"

Olivia took a breath. She wondered for a moment how she was the one people always stuck in the middle of things, and then she wondered why she had a problem saying no to people. "Yes," she sighed. "I will talk to him. But ya know, you're gonna miss the wed..." she stopped. She blinked. "The wed...Wednesday night bowling league Dickie's joining. It starts next month, and they have a mother-son...thing..." she babbled, trying to cover up her blunder. She was always a bad liar.

Kathy laughed. "I'm a horrible bowler, Olivia," she said. "Besides, I think my son would rather bowl with you," she said with a wink. "He takes after his father there, I think."

Olivia let out a small, nervous laugh, then nodded at Kathy and turned away. She walked back over to Elliot and tilted her head. "Weirdest fucking conversation I have ever had with that woman," she said, walking with him toward the doors.

"What did she do? Confess her undying love for you?" he asked as the walked across the parking lot, kissing her cheek before they got back to work.

"Not that weird," she said, shaking her head. "She told me Dickie has a crush on me," she said, getting into the car.

"He does," he said. "I thought you knew that."

"Well, I didn't," she said, buckling her seatbelt. "You need to talk to him before the wedding."

He sighed. "Well, with weekends..."

"That's another thing," she interrupted. "Kathy wanted to know if you wouldn't mind keeping the kids a little longer. Like, the weekend...plus five months, three weeks, and two days."

"Woah," he said, looking at her, "Back up. What?"

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "She's going on a trip with some guy she's seeing, and she needs you to..."

"We'll be married when she gets back," he interjected. "And the kids won't wanna leave, by then we'll probably be expecting a kid of our own and they'll wanna stick around...is she trying to make this easy for us?"

Olivia smirked. "I don't think she's trying," she said, "She just is. So I'm guessing keeping the kids isn't a problem?"

"Hell no! It makes everything so much fucking better, baby," he chuckled. He started the car and pulled out of the lot, then turned to her with narrow eyes. "Who were you on the phone with that last time, by the way?"

Her smirk turned into a full, bright smile. "Do you remember my friend Charlotte's wedding? You kept asking why Chief Jackson was there?"

Elliot hummed and nodded, driving toward the police station. "Why?" he asked.

"He was there because she's his niece," Olivia said. She smiled and said, "And at the reception he told me if there was ever anything he could do to thank me for planning her wedding, not to hesitate to ask."

"So you called the chief," he deduced. "For what?"

"No, I called Charlotte," Olivia said, chuckling. "She's trying to find a nice way to ask her uncle to bend the rules for us, just a bit. Turns out, there aren't any rules to bend. We can date, we can fuck, we can get married, I can have ten of your babies, El. There's nothing in any NYPD rule book that says we can't. It's just always been frowned upon in departments, because the NYPD hasn't had much luck with lasting love and it's always ended with...well two pissed off people with guns isn't exactly..."

Elliot laughed and looked at her as they came to a red light. "So we're okay, is what you're telling me. I don't have to transfer."

"That's what I'm telling you, yes," she said with a smile. She sighed then, her head dropping back into the seat behind her. She felt the car move again, turning, and said, "Shit. I still have to talk to Fin."

"I'll do it," he said, pulling into his parking space. "He'll tell me more than he'd tell you. I'll take him out for a drink after work, and I'll tell you what he tells me."

Olivia popped her head up and smiled at him. "You're an amazing partner," she said.

He leaned over the console, stealing another kiss. "I am pretty amazing, aren't I?" he joked, kissing her once more before he got out of the car. He grabbed the box of evidence out of the backseat and they walked toward the building, but they stopped, tilting their heads at the sight before them.

Elliot asked, "Um, is that...Casey?"

"Yeah, it is," Olivia said, nodding. "But who is she kissing?" she asked, squinting. "It's not Ryan," she said, stating the obvious.

Elliot shook his head, sighed, and said, "Looks like you're gonna be planning your first divorce, baby."

**A/N: When Casey talks to Olivia, what is revealed? Fin and Elliot have a chat, another pal asks Olivia to plan his wedding, and someone finds out about Olivia's wedding...and tries to talk her out of it. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: The kids get the new of their mother's departure, and Olivia is asked to plan an unconventional wedding. After figuring out what's up with Casey.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

Casey pulled away from the man currently attached to her lips, and she laughed as he walked away. That's when she noticed Olivia and Elliot, and that's when she gasped. "Hi," she muttered.

Olivia had her arms folded. "Ryan shrunk," she said.

"And got one hell of a tan," Elliot added.

"That wasn't Ryan," Casey said, sighing.

"Really?" Olivia said, feigning shock. "I had no idea."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I don't need your sarcasm, Benson."

"And I don't need to be stuck in the middle of your affair," Olivia spat back, "But we can't always get what we need, can we?"

"It's not what you think," Casey said, stepping toward them. "Ryan, he...he knows about Clark...like, really...knows about him."

Elliot scoffed. "Right, like Ryan would eve agree to that kind of thing."

Casey looked at him and folded her arms. "If Kathy brought home another man, told you that either you accepted their relationship or yours was over..."

"Bad example," Olivia interrupted.

"Oh, right," Casey said, biting her lip. "That's kind of what she did, isn't it?"

Elliot nodded. "And I kind of filed for divorce." He shrugged again, and shook his head in bewilderment. "What the hell is going on, here, Casey?"

"I...I thought when he asked me to marry him that he would be enough," Casey said, shrugging. "For a while, he was. Then something...happened. I got bored. Women get bored, ya know?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Not all women," she said. "So you cheated on him."

"No!" Casey defied. "No, I talked to him. Told him how I felt, and instead of trying to liven things up himself he...he brought home Clark."

"Wait," Elliot said, confused. "Ryan...this was Ryan's idea?" He suddenly felt very weird. "I ate the man's donut," he said, looking at Olivia.

Olivia laughed uncontrollably for a minute as Casey wondered what was so funny. "Hey! Guys!" Casey snapped, "Ryan doesn't...he..." she gritted her teeth and lowered her voice. "He just likes to watch, and I can't believe I just told you that."

Elliot's eyes were wide as he said, "Neither can I. I'm going to forget I heard that." He gave Olivia a quick smack on the ass, and he chuckled when he heard her yelp in surprise. He winked at her and said, "I'll see you inside."

"What did he just do to you?" Casey asked, her arms folded and head cocked to one side.

"Ow," Olivia whined, rubbing her bottom. "I forgot how hard he smacks," she mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Casey said, surprised.

Olivia smirked at her. "You're not the only one with secrets," she said. "Listen, Case, I know I'm the last person you should be taking advice from, but this can only end badly. Marriage is a commitment, to one person. If you can't do that, then..."

"Olivia," Casey said, stopping her, "I love him. He has my heart, and this is a mutual choice. Stay out of it." She shook her head and walked away before Olivia could say anything else.

Sighing, Olivia turned and headed back up into the building. She made it to the elevator before her phone rang, and she took the call, chatting until the doors reopened on her floor. She stepped out of the lift, walking mechanically into her squad room, and she sat behind her desk. "All right," she said, with a small smile. "I'll do what I can. Bye."

"Who was that?" Elliot asked, ignoring Fin's staring.

"George," she told him, putting her phone down. "He...um...he's getting married."

Munch, Fin, and Elliot looked at her. "Come again?" Elliot queried, leaning forward. "I thought he was..."

"He is," Olivia said, nodding with a smirk. "He and his partner are having a formal commitment ceremony, we were officially invited and..."

"We?" Munch interjected. "You and Stabler are a 'we,' huh?"

Olivia looked at him and said, "All of us. The whole unit. I'm just the only number he has in his phone, since I'm the one dealing with him half the time. Anyway, he asked if I could help him plan the party afterward."

"Damn, Baby-Girl," Fin said, shaking his head, "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. For you, the phrase applies."

"Except I'm getting married," she reminded him, grinning.

Fin scoffed. "You expect us to believe that you're gettin' married to a guy we ain't ever heard about before," he said. "You were with that FBI agent for almost a year, you didn't marry him. It ain't gonna happen."

Olivia looked at him, hurt in her eyes, and said, "I kept it a secret because every time I talked about other relationships, one of you made me feel like shit about it."

Munch came to the defense of his partner. "I think he was just teasing..."

"He's not good enough, why are you with him if he's such a creep, wow, Liv, you really know how pick the assholes, when are you dumping this guy," Olivia said, mocking what they used to say to her. "Every single time I mentioned it, one of you said something to make me second guess it. Thanks for not letting this one be any different, Fin."

Fin watched, stunned, as Olivia got out of her seat, grabbed her keys, and walked out. "Damn," he whispered, "What did I say?"

"The wrong thing," Munch noted. The aging detective wasn't surprised to see Elliot go after her, and when he was gone, he turned to his partner. "Why did you say that?"

Fin shrugged. "I figured she'd defend herself, or tell us who it was, ya know? I didn't think she'd take it so seriously."

Elliot came back into the room, and he shot Fin a glare. "She's going home. When she gets here tomorrow, you tell her you're sorry."

"All right, Dad," Fin snickered.

"Seriously," Elliot said, his glare hardening. "You owe her an apology."

Fin sighed, folded his arms, and said, "Fine, I'll apologize."

"Good," Elliot said. He grabbed his jacket and said, "Let's go."

"You want me to do it now?" Fin questioned.

Elliot shook his head. "No, I want the three of us to head down to O'Rielly's Pub, unwind. We could all use a drink."

Munch cleared his throat. "Yeah, I know I could," he said, getting up.

"Besides," Elliot added as he sent another hard look at Fin, "I need to talk to you."

* * *

Olivia was in the kitchen when Elliot got home. He stumbled through the door, kicked it closed, and tossed his jacket and keys on the armchair. She watched him, and stepped over to him slowly, unsure of how drunk he was. "Hey," she said, tilting her head.

"Hey," he returned, squeezing the bridge of his nose. He dropped his head onto her shoulder and pulled her close to him. "You smell pretty," he said, breathing in and out slowly.

"What?" she laughed. "Get up," she said, shoving him lightly.

He held firmly to her, nuzzling her neck. "I mean it, baby. You smell so damn good right now." He nipped at her neck and moaned. "Taste good, too."

"Okay," she chuckled. "So you knocked a couple back, but your not drunk enough to be an ass."

He nodded as he kissed her neck again. "I love you," he murmured, biting her shoulder.

She moaned once. "Stop, baby," she said, her eyes rolling back, "Your kids are upstairs."

"So, they're not down here. They can't see through walls," he mumbled, sliding his hands over her hips and down her thighs.

She laughed and wriggled away from him. "Go get a cup of coffee," she said. "You smell like you bathed in Captain Morgan."

He laughed at her and ran a hand down his face. "I'll take a shower in a minute," he said quickly, pulling her back into his arms. "So, Fin talked."

"And?" she asked, looping her arms around him. "Is he cheating on..."

"No," he interrupted. He shook his head, and said, "He's just nervous. He hasn't told Ken about the baby, he doesn't know how to handle having a kid in high-school and a kid in diapers."

"At least we can calm Melinda down, now," she said with a small sigh. "Speaking of telling the kids things they should probably know, I was waiting for you to come home so we could tell them they'd be staying here for a while. And we're off tomorrow, so we can go get the rest of their stuff, and..."

"You talk too much," he interjected, kissing her to shut her up. She resisted, but only for a moment, then gave herself over to him, to his kiss.

He tasted like rum, warm and sweet with a slow burn, and she gripped the sides of his head, forcing herself into him further. "You son of a bitch," she panted, kissing her way down his neck.

"What'd I do?" he asked innocently.

She nipped at his earlobe, making him moan. "Can't fucking keep your hands to yourself," she mused. "See what you do to me?"

"Love it," he muttered, sliding his hands up the back of her shirt.

"Dad?" a shocked voice came from the middle of the stairs.

Suddenly a foot apart, Olivia and Elliot turned to see Dickie, with his three sisters, wide-eyes on the steps. "Hey...guys," he said, trying to smile.

"I need therapy," Lizzie declared dryly.

"Liv said to come downstairs when we heard you come home," Maureen said, climbing down the rest of the way. "You have something to tell us?"

Kathleen rolled her eyes and plopped into the couch. "You're not gonna tell us you're having a baby are you?" she asked sourly. "There's hardly enough room for us here."

Dickie looked at her funny. "I wouldn't mind if they had a kid. And weren't you saying how cute their baby would be when we were playing with that stupid computer program?"

Kathleen snorted. "Whatever," she mumbled, embarrassed that she'd been morphing photos of her father and Olivia together to create their children.

"Actually, uh, it is about your mother," Elliot said, taking Olivia's hand and sitting with her on his lap. "You guys are gonna stay with us for a little longer than you expected."

"How long are we talking?" Kathleen asked, shifting in her seat.

Lizzie shook her head at her sister. "However long it is, it's fine with me."

"Good," Elliot said, smiling a bit. "Six months," he said.

"What?" Kathy yelled. "Wow, she must really hate us."

Olivia got off of Elliot and sat beside Kathleen. "No, honey, she's just...she's taking a long vacation."

"With Charlie," Kathleen said, rolling her eyes. "She was serious then? About Europe?"

"Yeah, sweetie, she was," Olivia said, brushing the blonde's hair back. "We're gonna take you guys over to get whatever you're gonna need tomorrow, and then we're gonna spend the day in the city."

"Can we go to the wax museum?" Dickie asked.

Elliot laughed. "Sure, bud." He wrapped an arm around Olivia and said, "We can do anything you guys want."

Kathleen rested her head on Olivia's shoulder. "He's not like you," she whispered.

"Who?" Olivia asked, turning toward the teenager.

Kathleen didn't look up at her, but said, "Charlie. He's not like you. You're great, and loving, and we're happy with you. Charlie...he told her that he didn't want kids, and he never lets us go anywhere with them. He would always say things like, 'Don't they get in your way?' or 'They must get on your nerves,' like he was trying to convince her she didn't need us anymore. I guess he finally did."

Olivia looked at Elliot, and they knew that they would have to talk to Kathy when they got to her place. What they would say, though, was still a mystery.

**A/N: Coming up, a hitch in the wedding plans, a dress fitting, and what does Casey do with her newly acquired knowledge about Olivia and Elliot? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: The difference between love and being in love is great.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"That's all you're gonna eat?" Kathy asked, eying Olivia as she chomped happily on a celery stick.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Not by choice, believe me."

Elliot sighed. "Little hiccup with the dress. She tried it on again this morning, it's still a little snug, now she thinks instead of having it let out..."

"If I do that, then all the detailing in the back is gonna get distorted. It's a corset, El, you can't just add to that!"

"Women," he mumbled, forking some pasta into his mouth.

"What dress?" Kathy asked, confused.

Elliot stared blankly at her. "She's in another wedding," he said. "She came home and told me everything." He laughed, kissed Olivia's forehead, and bit into a meatball. "You didn't have to make us lunch, Kath, but thanks."

"It's just leftovers," the blonde woman shrugged. "So, uh, you're okay with taking the kids, right?"

Elliot put his fork down, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and nodded. "Of course, but I need to ask this, only because the kids brought it up. Um, you, uh...you want them, right?"

Kathy was silent. She looked at him for a moment, then moved to grab the salad bowl. "Here, Olivia. You need to eat more than that."

"Kathy?" Elliot prodded, watching his ex force feed his current.

Olivia took the salad gratefully, but was just as concerned as Elliot. "Did he say something to you?"

Kathy bit her lip and dropped the pitcher of iced tea she was about to hand to Elliot back to the table. "Damn it," she hissed. "Yes. Okay? He...he doesn't want kids," she admitted. "At least, not fully grown ones."

"Fully grown?" Elliot asked, wide-eyed. "Our oldest is sixteen, and that's hardly an adult. She can't even legally ride her bike without a helmet yet!"

Kathy scratched her head and heaved a sigh. "Well, they're too grown for him, all right? I love them, Elliot. I do. You know I do. I just...I've given my life for my kids, and I just want a little time to myself. A little time with Charlie to feel like..."

"Parents give their lives for their children," Olivia cut in, a thin slice of carrot dangling out of her mouth.

Elliot chuckled and pulled on it, eating it himself, and said, "She's right. Kathy, they should be your priority." He picked up his fork, twirled some pasta around it, and said, "The minute Charlie said anything about the kids..."

Kathy interrupted him. "Do you know how hard it is to find someone willing to love you, willing to love four kids who aren't..."

"No," he interrupted in return. "I found someone who loves them, just like they were her own. Anyone who loves you, really loves you, would love the kids just as much. Take this time with him to really think about..."

"Dad?" Dickie called, walking in. "We're all packed. Can we just go? Charlie's talking about military school again."

Elliot's eyes shot up. "Excuse me?" he huffed, looking at Kathy. "I'll be damned if I'm letting that asshole do anything to my kids." He rose fast, wrapping an arm around his son. "Let's go," he said, leaving his food on the table.

Olivia sighed, then looked at Kathy. "I hope he gives you what you need, Kathy," she said. "From what I can tell, you're losing a lot more than you're gaining." She got up, grabbed a few celery sticks for the road, and followed Elliot and the kids out the door.

Kathy sighed, glancing at Charlie over on the couch, who looked suspiciously happy.

* * *

"That was eventful," Kathleen mumbled, rolling her eyes as she got into the car.

Lizzie folded her arms. "Can we go get ice cream or something now?"

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, kiddo. And someone wanted to go to the wax museum, huh?"

Dickie nodded and said, "Yeah, if you still wanna go."

"It's still early," Olivia said with a smile. "Ice cream, Madame Tussaud's, and then..."

"Dinner," Elliot said. "And could maybe eat more like a human than a rabbit?"

She laughed. "I will," she nodded. "I promise." Her phone rang as they pulled out onto the road, heading back into the city, and she answered it with a swift, "Benson." She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Oh, uh, yes. It is. Who is this? Oh, he never mentioned...no, no, it's quite all right, it's not a problem at all," she said with a small laugh, sounding eerily polite. "No, we're thrilled you're coming, and I'm sure you're little...Spunky...is going to love to see you. Bye."

"Who the hell was that?" Elliot asked, glancing at her as he drove.

"You have a Great Uncle Amos?" she questioned. "A Great Uncle Amos, who calls you Spunky, who is coming to the wedding, all the way from Ireland, with his wife three kids, five grandkids, and three great-grandkids?"

He stopped at a red light and turned his head. "I do?"

"Apparently," she said, holding up the phone. "Your mother was on the phone with them all day yesterday, filling them in on the last seventeen years of your life, and now they can't wait to come to the wedding." She narrowed her eyes. "Your mother told them we would fly them all in for this, El. Where the hell are we gonna come up with the..."

"I'm gonna kill her," he said, running a hand down his face. He sighed and shook his head. "We'll figure it out, all right? Uh, maybe...maybe they'll forget, ya know? It's a few months away. If we don't talk about..."

"You really think that'll work?" she asked, skeptically.

"Not really, no," he said, sighing again. He turned down an avenue and parked in a lot.

She rolled her eyes as she got out of the car, and said, "Now I have to call the hall, add another thirteen people, this man already hates me."

Elliot laughed. "I think he's afraid you, baby," he said. "That's not hate you hear in his voice, it's terror."

She chuckled as Lizzie grabbed her hand. "Speaking of hate, did you get any weird texts this morning?"

"You're talking about Ryan and Casey?" he assumed. He walked closer to her and whispered, "Yeah. He wants to know what I'm doing smacking your ass. Casey apparently told him what she saw."

"Beating us to the punch?" she returned with a raised eyebrow. "She told him what she saw before we could tell him what we saw."

Elliot kissed her nose. "Maybe," he said. "Still, it was kind of a bitchy thing to do, I mean, she doesn't know what's going on with us. She knows we're close, we joke around, we hit each other. It could have been a playful pat on the ass between friends."

She rolled her eyes. "It wasn't," she said.

"She doesn't know that," he said with a smirk. "We have to either tell her the truth or ignore it until she gets the invitation."

"Casey has the world's biggest mouth," Olivia said. "We tell her, we might as well tell Cragen."

He chuckled again and kissed her sweetly, getting into the line outside the ice cream shoppe.

"Hey, uh, I know we just got here, but...I gotta go the bathroom," Kathleen, said, bopping up and down.

Olivia laughed. "Anyone else?" she asked, looking at the kids. Lizzie raised her hand, and she looked at Elliot. "I'll take them. We'll be right back."

Elliot nodded and kissed her, then watched her leave with the girls. There was a moment of silence, and the line moved just a bit.

"Dad," Maureen said, turning around, "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did," Elliot teased.

Maureen rolled her eyes. "Funny," she said. "What I wanna know...what makes it different. With Liv, I mean. What's different with her than it was with Mom?"

"Oh, Mo," Elliot began, "With your mother...things were...rushed. We were very unprepared, ya know? We didn't really have a lot of time to connect, get to know each other. We just kind of...happened."

Maureen raised an eyebrow. "You mean I kind of happened," she said with a smirk.

He laughed and nodded. "But you were not a mistake, honey. You were a surprise. You know I love you," he said, brushing her hair back.

"I know," she said with a smile. "So what's different with Liv?"

He sighed and got a goofy look on his face. "With Liv, I...I learned a lot about her. It took time to build, little things got to me, like the way she makes her coffee, the way she chews on her pen, the way she points at people with her pinky because it's not as rude..."

"Dad," Dickie interrupted, "Really?" He looked at his father with a crooked grin.

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, really. I fell in love with Liv bit by bit, because I met her when I was old enough to know what it meant to really fall in love with someone. I love your mother, and a part of me always will. But I'm in love with Olivia."

"It makes that big of a difference, then?" Maureen asked.

Olivia, behind her, having come back from the bathroom, smiled and said, "Honey, it makes all the difference in the world."

Elliot reached for her hand, pulled her close to him, and kissed her, making it clear that it was love, and they were _in_ love, too.

Someone close to them, though, would soon realize that they weren't in love. At least, not with the person they married. They turn to Elliot for help this time, and he turns to the only person he can. Olivia.

**A/N: A final wedding arrangement, and a secret is revealed at George's party! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: "Divorce is what happens when two people didn't think very clearly during their marriage."**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and Characters. TStabler© owns this story.**

"This is pretty fabulous," Alex said, looking at Olivia. "Look at them, they look so...happy."

Olivia, smiling proudly and waving a celery stick at them, said, "Of course, they're happy, Al. They're in love, they just got married, it's..."

"Speaking of getting married," Alex interrupted, "I don't even know the guy, and I'm getting phone calls about dress fittings. I refuse to try on anything pink and frilly until you tell me who I'm watching you waste your life on."

Olivia rolled her eyes, chewing on her celery and gripping a glass of champagne at the same time. "You're dress has already been ordered, you just need to try it on to see if it needs to be hemmed or taken in." She looked Alex up and down and smirked. "Or let out."

"Bitch," Alex chuckled, playfully hitting Olivia in the arm. "What's up with the celery stick? You've just been picking at the veggie platter all night?"

"Diet," Olivia said, popping the last bit of her veggie into her mouth.

Alex shook her head. "You don't need to diet," she said. "You're the proud owner of the perfect body, Benson. And I'm one of your best friends. I demand that you tell me who is going to be loving that body for the rest of your life, now."

"You'll find out when your invitation comes," Olivia replied coyly, raising a glass of champagne to her lips.

At that moment, George walked over, a grin on his face. "I don't know how you do it," he said, wrapping his arms around Olivia in a grateful hug.

"What can I say," she shrugged with a smile. "I was born to plan weddings. Well, no, I was born to be a cop, with a killer fashion sense and a horrendous attitude, which bodes well for planning weddings."

George laughed, then turned to Alex. "I can't wait to see what she's done for herself," he said. "Honestly, Olivia, if you can plan something like this in only a few days, your wedding is gonna be absolutely incredible."

"I'm hoping," Olivia said, sipping her drink again.

Alex folded her arms. "If only we knew who it was that was so deserving of all of that 'incredible."

Olivia chuckled. "You guys can't just be happy for me? Trust me, the element of surprise is what's making this really special for us. I promise, waiting to find out is worth it."

"Fin knows," George said, tilting his head. "Well, at least, he claims he knows. He keeps hinting that he does and he's over by the buffet table taking bets."

Olivia scoffed and turned her head, and her eyes widened when she saw Elliot actually placing a bet. Keeping up appearances, she assumed, shaking her head. "How much do you wanna bet he's wrong?"

"Oh, I'm sure he's wrong," George said. "We would all know if it was who Fin thinks it is." He looked at Olivia for a moment, pondering, then questioned, "Wouldn't we?"

"Congratulations, George," Olivia said, winking at him and taking another sip of champagne.

George raised an eyebrow, shaking his head and chuckling. "Thank you," he said. "For everything."

Olivia gave him another hug, careful not to spill her drink, and left him alone with Alex, moving to find Elliot. She tapped him on the shoulder and smirked when he turned around. "You're betting on yourself, right?" she whispered.

He laughed. "And give away our little secret? Never!" he chuckled quietly. "I bet Fin fifty bucks you were marrying Andy."

"Eckerson? The Marshall? The guy I haven't even spoken to in six years?" she asked in rapid, annoyed, succession.

"That's the one," Elliot said, taking her champagne out of her hand and sipping it. "Tastes almost as sweet as you do."

"My fiancée will kick your ass if he sees you flirting with me like this," she said, folding her arms.

He looked around, grinned, and said, "Well, Andy isn't here, so I'm safe, right?" He winked at her, then put the champagne glass down. He let his eyes wander around the room for a moment, then leaned into her. "Meet me in the coat room in five minutes."

"Are you serious?" she asked with a laugh.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he asked, no trace of a smile on his face. He nodded once at her, straightened his tie, and walked out of the room, heading toward the large closet.

He was waiting rather impatiently by the wall, when Ryan walked in, looking upset. "Elliot," the lab tech said, turning toward him, "I have to talk to you."

Elliot straightened up and looked toward the door, then down at his watch. "Look," he said, "I'm not telling you why I slapped Liv's..."

"Not about that," Ryan said, shutting him up. He took a deep breath and said, "About me and Casey. I know you told me, a long time ago, I didn't know what I'd be getting myself into with her, and I should have listened. I...just...I'm not..."

"Ry, buddy, calm down and talk to me," Elliot said, trying to calm his friend. "What's wrong?"

Ryan shook his head. "I don't love her anymore," he said with a shrug. "I think I was in love with the idea of being in love with her, that's why I'm letting her and this other guy..."

"You want her to leave you?" Elliot asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It would just be easier if she left, ya know?" Ryan sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do, man. She thinks I'm doing it all because I understand her needs, and I love her so much, but..."

"But you just want her out of your hair," Elliot said, trying to understand. "She said...she said you like to watch?"

Ryan scoffed. "I like to watch football in the other room while she's having the time of her life in our bed with a guy from the lab I barely know. I mean, honestly, who thinks that bringing home someone else for you to sleep with is a way to save your marriage?" he asked, frustrated. "She just doesn't get it, and I need you to help me figure out how to get out of this mess."

Elliot sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Honestly, I suck at relationships. I have one failed marriage under my belt, and one...one perfect relationship that only works because she and I are two halves of the same person, if that makes sense." He shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you, other than tell her you want a divorce."

Ryan bit his bottom lip and sighed. "How do I do that without looking like the bad guy?"

Elliot raised and lowered his eyes, and he folded his arms, discreetly checking the time. "I'll get back to you on that, but right now, I think you should go back into that party and hit on the hot waitress," he said, trying to get rid of him.

Ryan laughed. "Thanks, man. You and Olivia always know how to cheer me up."

Elliot slapped him on the shoulder and nodded. "That's what friends are for," he said. "Now, uh, go. Get laid, my friend."

Ryan laughed again, rolled his eyes, and walked out of the coat room, just barely missing Olivia walking in from the other side. "All right," she said. "I'm here, so what do you..."

He turned and grabbed her, pulling her behind a rack of coats roughly and crashing her lips into hers. "So fucking difficult," he muttered against her lips, sliding his hands up her dress, "To pretend this isn't happening."

"We've done a great job for the last two years," she said, when his lips moved to her neck.

He moaned finding her panties and grabbing them, slipping them down. "Not like this," he groaned. "When we're out, at a party, at a wedding, wherever. It kills me to stand there and pretend I'm not with you."

She moaned as she felt his fingers sliding closer to her folds, wet in anticipation. He knew exactly how to drive her crazy in mere seconds. "Hurts me, too, El," she whispered. "Almost over. We won't be hiding it for...oh, my God," she moaned softly, feeling his fingers push their way inside if her.

"Promise me," he whispered into her ear as he used his free hand to shift out of his pants. "Promise me that we won't end up like them, baby. I don't wanna fight with you, I don't wanna lose you, I don't..."

"I promise," she gasped, her eyes clenching shut when his fingers were replaced by his hard and ready shaft, in one thrust. "End up like who?" she asked, an afterthought. She would promise him the world without question.

He looked into her eyes and stilled his frantic movements. "Everybody else," he whispered. "Fin and Melinda, Ryan and Casey...me and Kathy."

She cupped his face with her hands, shifting her weight between him and the wall. "Never, baby," she whispered. She pulled his face toward hers and moaned softly, kissing him as he moved more gently now.

He held her tightly, moved slow and deep, kissing her, ensuring that this was more than a quickie in a closet. He had them close to the edge in minutes, with his need to hurry and perfected technique, and he muffled her screams with a powerfully deep kiss.

She held onto him for a few moments after he grunted and moaned, thrust hard, signaling his release. She clung to him, calming down, kissing him slowly and running her hands through his hair. "What brought that on?"

He shrugged, dropping her gently to the floor and pulling her silk panties out of his pocket. He handed them to her as he said, "It wasn't supposed to be...like that." He pulled up his pants, straightened his shirt and tie, and said, "Then I was talking to Ryan, and he made me realize...this, you and me, it's everything."

She tugged on her dress, tried to fix her hair, and said, "I know it is." She kissed him again, nuzzled his nose for a moment, and asked, "What did you talk to Ryan about? What made you so..."

"He wants a divorce," Elliot interrupted. "He doesn't wanna be with Casey anymore, and he wanted to know how to break it to her. She seems so invested in him and their new arrangement." He looked at her, pleading for something with his eyes. "I have no idea what to tell him. With me and Kathy, there was a mutual 'fuck off' and it was done."

Olivia ran a hand through her hair again. "I'll...I'll talk to Casey."

"Thank you," he said, sounding relieved that the pressure was off of him. He kissed her again, winked at her, and walked out of the coat room, knowing in five minutes she would be at his side again, acting like nothing more than his partner.

Olivia sighed, folding her arms as she walked back into the reception. "Shit," she said to herself. She had thought Ryan and Casey were perfect for each other. She hated being wrong.

She would find out, all too soon, that she was very wrong about something else.

**A/N: what is she wrong about? What will she say to Casey? And more of George! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: "It takes a strong woman to admit that she's wrong, and an even stronger _man_ to admit that she's _right_."**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"Are you sure you wanna be spending your lunch hour with me, Olivia?" Casey asked, dangling a martini glass in front of her face. "You could be spending it with this fiancée I know nothing about, or with your partner with his grabby hands."

Olivia sighed, pushing the tomatoes in her salad away from the rest of the vegetables. "First of all, stop bringing up Elliot smacking my ass, okay? It's just something he does. Like how football players whack each other all the time. We're a team, he appreciates me."

"He appreciates your ass," Casey said, biting into a fry. "You sure you don't want any…"

"Diet," she mumbled bitterly, shoving a forkful of foliage into her mouth. "Second thing, this whole open marriage you've got…it isn't healthy. It's not really what Ryan wants, and you know it."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I thought we were letting it go."

Olivia shook her head as she swallowed. "No, the ass-grab we're letting go, _this_ we are very much hanging on to. Do you love him, Casey? Do you really love him?"

Casey looked into Olivia's eyes. "I used to," she said. "It was like a short-wicked candle. Hot, fiery, and dangerous, but it burnt out sooner than I thought. I just…I don't have the heart to…"

"Hurt him," Olivia said.

Casey nodded.

"I thought you two were made for each other," Olivia sighed. "I never would have pushed you to go…"

"You didn't do this," Casey interrupted. "You gave me four great years with an amazing man, Olivia, and I really did love him. A part of me still does, it just isn't the kind of love you need to be married to someone."

"He, uh, he was talking to Elliot at George's party," Olivia said, jabbing her fork into a cucumber. "You know he feels that way, too, right? He would rather you both put this marriage out of its misery than have to sit there and pretend he's okay with you and what's-his-name."

Casey's eyes widened as she watched Olivia bite into the green veggie. "He does? I thought that…wow. Why didn't he say anything?"

"He doesn't wanna be the bad guy, here," Olivia said. "He was hoping that you would get the hint and leave when he actually suggested you sleep with someone else. Who _does_ that, Casey?"

"Kathy," Casey scoffed. "Elliot was smarter than me, I guess. He understood that it meant it was over."

Olivia smirked. "Please, you know he was already sleeping with someone else."

Casey shook her head. She took a breath, a bite of her burger, and asked, "Have you ever met her? The other woman, I mean. Did he ever introduce you to her?"

Olivia took a long sip of her water. "I know her, yeah," she said.

"You okay with all of that?" Casey asked, smirking. "I mean, you're getting married so obviously you're not still hung up on Stabler, but is she…"

"She's a bitch. She's bossy. She's a little bit on the arrogant side, and she can't keep her fucking hands off of him." She looked at Casey and smiled. "She's perfect for him."

Casey raised an eyebrow and shook her head again. "I always thought it would be you, ya know? After Kathy. Hey. Do you still have feelings for the guy?"

Olivia blinked once. "I have to get back to the…"

"Olivia, come on," Casey said harshly. "You don't think I notice how you look at him? How you are with him? Granted, I'm still pissed off at him for what he did to you, but..."

"What did he do to me?" Olivia asked, honestly not sure.

Casey raised both eyebrows. "You don't remember? You were out on this hot date, you got the guy into bed, and Elliot called you to some crime scene…you were bitching about it for days."

Olivia held in the burst of laughter. "Oh," she said, nodding. She remembered that first night with Elliot; they were seconds away from him being inside of her for the first time when his cell phone rang. Cragen had called him, needing them at a brutal scene on Fifty-Third Street. She couldn't tell Casey that, so she made it seem like Elliot had interrupted her night with some hunky doctor. "Elliot really didn't know I was about to…"

Casey eyed Olivia with surprise and cut her off. "Yeah, but I'm still mad at him for it. Your sex life was seriously deprived, Benson, you needed to get laid."

"I'm not mad about it anymore," Olivia said. "You shouldn't be. And my sex life was, and still is, fucking incredible." She threw a twenty dollar bill on the table and got out of her seat. "I have to get back to work before Elliot starts whining. Talk to Ryan, Casey. Let him go."

Casey watched her friend leave as she downed the rest of her martini. She sighed, realizing how right Olivia was about her marriage. She had to find a way to make Olivia see how wrong she was about her own. Olivia belonged with Elliot, and as Casey threw another thirty dollars down and rose to her feet, she vowed to make it happen.

* * *

Olivia walked into the squad room, chuckling to herself. She plopped a cup of coffee in front of Elliot and winked at him.

Her cheerful mood made him sit up straighter and smirk at her. "Lunch went well, I take it?"

"Casey understood what I was trying to say," she said with a nod as she sat. "I think she's gonna talk to him, and this will..."

"No, I mean, for you. You look happy," he interrupted. "Like, really happy."

"I am really happy," she replied, smiling at him.

He leaned forward, lowering his voice. "I love to see you smile," he said. "You know I do, but what's got you so…"

"Casey's still pissed at you for interrupting my first night with my fiancée," she interjected.

He chuckled and leaned in even closer. "I seem to recall you and your fiancée finishing what you started, a few times actually, as soon as ythe case was closed."

She smirked at him as she sipped her coffee. "That we did," she said with a lusty gaze in her eyes. "But what I'm smiling about is I was halfway here when she ran up to me, swearing on her life that she would make me realize getting married to him was a mistake. She thinks I belong with you, and she's gonna call you tonight, demanding you tell her all about your new girlfriend, and she's going to list the thousand ways I'm better for you."

Elliot scoffed. "And this makes you happy because…"

"Because we mailed the invitations this morning," she told him, chuckling. "We already know we're gonna piss off a lot of people, El, but I think she's gonna have heart-attack."

He rolled his eyes and leaned back, picking up and sipping his coffee. "We'll see," he mumbled. "While you were out, we got another suspect in the McNally case. Munch and Fin are bringing him in; they want us to pull our Starsky and Hutch act." He lifted a file into the air and smirked at her.

"Are you Hutch again? You play dumb a lot better than I do," she joked.

He furrowed his brow and swatted the file at her playfully. "If I didn't love you, I'd hate you."

"You could never hate me," she countered. "I'd make you regret it."

"I know you would." He smiled at her, looked over his shoulder, and whispered, "I love you. I really do."

She held up her left hand, her ring glimmering in the dim bullpen light. "I know you do, El." She dropped her hand and whispered a quick, "I love you, too," as Fin and Munch brought in their guy.

"Stabler," Fin yelled, struggling to hold onto the man in cuffs at his side. "A little help?"

Elliot rolled his eyes, then his demeanor changed. He grimaced and got up, walking over to them. He grabbed the perp by the collar, stopping his struggles instantly, and lifted him an inch off the ground. He carried him into an interrogation room. Olivia, proud and slightly turned on by Elliot's "cop-mode," got up and followed. It was days like this she really loved her job.

* * *

They walked through the door at half-passed midnight, hearing nothing but the low hum of electricity running through the house. "Where do you want these?" Elliot asked, holding up the flowers George had delivered. A thank you for her help.

"I guess on the kitchen table for now," she answered, moving to sort through the mail the kids had brought in. "You got a letter from your Uncle Amos," she said with a laugh.

"Oh, goody," he bemoaned sarcastically. He walked out of the kitchen and over to her, taking her into his arms from behind. "Anything else in that pile of paper for me?"

"Um, electric bill, cable bill, cell phone bill, something from a travel agent, car payment, postcard from your sister…travel agent?" she snapped, flipping back to the red envelope.

"Open it," he whispered.

She slipped a finger under the side flap and yanked, then pulled out the letter and brochure. "Dear Mister Stabler, thank you for choosing to book your honeymoon with BMC Travel and Victorian Cruiseline. Enclosed, you'll find your itinerary and a brochure filled with information about your destination and amenities. Congratulations on your nuptials, and we hope you think of us at least once during your two-week cruise." She dropped the letter and turned around, meeting his cocky expression. "Two week cruise?" she gasped with an excited smile.

"You love me," he told her with a bit of playful arrogance.

"I love you," she said, throwing her arms around him. "Honey, how did you…"

"George's partner," he said, struggling to talk against her powerfully kissing lips. he tugged away from her with a grin. "The man's a travel agent, baby. He got us the last seats on the plane, the last room on the ship, and the last honeymoon suite on the island. Baby, there's a few days between the flight to Miami and when the ship leaves for the Bahamas. Look at the schedule, find Friday, and then tell me how much you love me."

She raised an eyebrow, and then glanced down at the papers in her hands. "Thursday, mountain climbing...Friday, Swimming with…Oh, El!" She wrapped herself around him, kissing him fiercely as images of the two of them swimming with majestic dolphins swirled in her mind. "I love you," she mumbled against his lips. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, baby," he said softly. He ran his hands down her back and said, "He got us a great deal, Liv. It's not costing as much as we thought, and it's gonna be everything you want."

She kissed him again, moaning softly into his mouth, and grabbed the back of his with both of her hands. "You are everything I want, El," she whispered, trailing her lips down his neck as she kissed and nibbled.

"Baby," he whispered, his eyes rolling backward as she found a spot to suckle on. He pushed forward, hearing the wobble of the table as she fell into it. "Sorry," he uttered, grasping at her clothes. He had her blazer off and on the floor, and was working on the buttons of her shirt when his cell phone rang. He didn't stop, no, he kept right on pulling her shirt open with one hand as he answered the call with the other. "Stabler," he gruffed, gripping the fabric of her pants with his usable hand.

"Hang up," Olivia moaned, struggling with his belt.

He grunted as he yanked her own pants over her hips. "What?" he said into the phone. "Does it sound like I was asleep? What do you want, Casey?"

Olivia's eyes widened, both in response to the phone call and his teeth latching onto one of her nipples through her bra.

He moaned softly, then said, "I know, you're right. You're absolutely right." He stopped sucking on her chest and picked up his head, looking into her eyes. "She's beautiful, and she's smart, she's funny and kind and generous. She's sexy and strong, gutsy and powerful, but she has this…this incredibly feminine side that shows only when she wants it to. She's everything a man could possibly want or need, I know that."

She was looking back into his eyes, her own filling with tears at his words, and she brought her hands up to his face.

He turned his head and kissed one of her palms, then met her eyes again. "I'm in love with her, Casey. That's why I have to let her marry him. She's happy. If she's happy, I'm happy. If he ever hurts her I'll kill him."

Olivia, still cupping his face, chuckled quietly. She watched as he hung up the phone, and then his lips came down upon hers, backing her further into the wall. "He's not gonna hurt me," she said as her eyes slid closed.

Dipping a finger into the waistband of her panties, he grinned. "I know, that's why I made that promise. You know my views on suicide." He chuckled and slipped the fabric down, turning his hand to stroke her, feeling her wetness and moaning in reaction.

She moved, as carefully as she could, away from the table and backwardly led him into the bedroom as they kissed and touched each other. Her knees hit the mattress as he kicked the door closed behind him. He fell onto her as she flattened out, and he worked the rest of their clothes off and away.

He pulled away from her, suddenly turning around to face the hallway from which they came. "Do you hear that?"

"Your phone again?" she questioned, panting slightly as she propped herself up on her elbows.

He shook his head. "Yours," he said, flinging himself off of the bed. He walked out for the briefest of moments, and came back in with her ringing phone and their rumpled clothes. He tossed her the device as he threw the clothes into the hamper.

"Benson," she said, annoyed. She didn't want the interruption. "Oh, God, okay, uh, we'll be right there. Tell her to stay calm, and we'll be right there."

"What happened?" he asked, reaching for a tee-shirt from the pile of clothes on the corner chair.

Olivia, naked, searched in her drawer for a tee shirt big enough to hide the fact she was braless and a pair of sweatpants. "Melinda's in labor, Fin's phone is off, Ken has no idea what to do. he called me to ask if..."

"What?" Elliot spat. "Fin left before we did, he should be home. Why the hell is his phone off and why the fuck is Ken…"

Olivia gasped, turning as she tugged on her clothes. "El, didn't he tell you that he was worried? he said he didn't even tell Ken she was…"

"He lied," Elliot interrupted. "Son of a bitch." He kissed her forehead and said, "I'm gonna tell the kids where we're going, I'll meet you in the car."

She exhaled harshly, wondering why the hell everyone's life seemed to be falling apart just as she was finally putting hers together. She walked into the living room, grabbed the keys off the coffee table, and left the house to start the car. She got into the driver's seat as she saw Elliot walking out, and she smiled. She knew she would never have such problems with him, or he with her. At least, that's what she was telling herself.

**A/N: Where was Fin? It's not where you think! And when the invitations start arriving, the reactions range from enthralled to heartbroken. Who's what? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: "You can tell who your real friends are by the face they make when you tell them you're getting married." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

They burst into Melinda's house and found her hunched over, moaning in pain, in Ken's arms. "Thank God you two are here," the young man said, his eyes wide. "Do you know where my father is?"

Elliot shook his head as he walked over and grabbed Melinda. "Just help me get her into the car, Kenny."

"Mel, is there a bag?" Olivia asked, looking around.

"Table," Melinda seethed, gripping tightly to Elliot's hand.

Olivia bolted toward the dining room table and got the bag they'd packed for this moment, and she followed her lover and friend out of the door. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and tried to get a hold of Fin again, with no luck. "Fin, where the hell are you? Your wife is labor, ken's here, you have a lot of explaining…no, ya know what? Don't even explain, just meet us at Mercy." She hung up, trying to do it angrily, but her digital phone failed to make the noise of a slamming receiver.

She got into the back with Melinda, offering her hand to relieve pressure, and she nodded once at Elliot as she caught his reflection in the rear-view mirror. Something flashed in his eyes as he looked back at her through the reflective glass.

He promised, silently, that he would never do this to her, that he would be by her side, always, especially if she was this close to having a baby. He at least hoped that's what his eyes were telling her.

He sped toward the hospital, shouting things into the backseat that Fin should be saying. Then he turned toward Ken. "You knew? The whole time, I mean, you…"

"My father told me as soon as they found out," Ken interrupted. "He was so excited."

Elliot shook his head. "Not what he told me," he mumbled. "Do you have any idea where he is, Kenny? Any idea at all?"

Ken shook his head. "He called around ten," he said. "Said he had something he needed to do, and that he would be home soon."

"That was three hours ago," Elliot mumbled to himself as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Help Liv take her inside, I'll get a doctor." He got out of the car and ran through the sliding doors, grabbing the first doctor he saw.

Elliot guided the frazzled medic over to Melinda, coming through the doors flanked by Olivia and Ken, and helped her into a wheelchair. Ken nodded his thanks and went with the doctor, wheeling Melinda through a set of wooden doors.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but his arms were wrapped tightly around Olivia as they watched their friend fade from view. "What the hell just happened?" he asked, kissing her forehead.

She shrugged. "No idea," she said. Her phone rang, then, and she looked down at the bleeping device in her hands. "Here," she said, handing the phone to Elliot. "You talk to him."

Elliot rolled his eyes as he took the phone and held it up to his ear. "Where the hell are you?" he asked. "You can't tell…man, your wife is in labor right now! I don't care if you're performing open heart surgery on a dying unicorn! Get your ass down here!" He snapped the phone shut and shook his head. "I don't know how anyone could…I had to bargain my way home from a fucking Marine base in Florida when Maureen was due. I made sure I was home, and it cost me a lot of fucking favors!"

"Yeah, well," Olivia sighed, folding her arms. "I keep telling Melinda you and Fin are nothing alike."

He looked at her; his grimacing face turned slowly into a smile, and he chuckled. "We are definitely not," he said, pulling her close to him for a sweet kiss.

Two hours later, Fin finally walked through the doors. He looked panicked, out of breath, as he looked around for Olivia and Elliot. "Stabler!" he yelled. "What room, man?"

Elliot was glaring at him. "Delivery Four," he hissed. "Good luck doming out there with all of your limbs."

"Look, man, I had something I needed to do, okay?" Fin said, walking backward down the hallway. "I'll explain later."

Olivia watched him go, then bent down to pick up a folded paper that had fallen out of his pocket. "El," she said, handing it to him.

Elliot unfolded it, and as he read it, his eyes widened. "Fin's been working overtime," he said. "With Narcotics. This is a dispatch slip from a bust. I guess he…I guess he thinks he needs the extra money."

Olivia squinted. "Why wouldn't he just tell us?" she asked. "Why the hell wouldn't he tell his wife?"

"Look who his partner is," he said, handing the form back to her.

"Shit," she spat, seeing the name across the page. "You don't think anything's going on, do you?"

Elliot shrugged. "There was bad blood between them, ya know, he kind of took her job. I know they used to meet for drinks every once in a while. But he told me he wasn't..."

"He also told you Kenny had no idea Melinda was pregnant, trying to find an excuse for his nerves and distance." Olivia ran a hand through her hair. "I guess we weren't the only people keeping secrets."

He kissed her forehead again and sighed. "Secret's out now," he whispered. "Those invitations are…"

"Yeah," she nodded, taking his hand. She pulled him back down to the seat, then rested her head on his shoulder. "I love this song," she said, changing the subject.

He chuckled. "I know you do," he told her, listening as Jeff Buckley's lyrics filtered softly through the speakers in the waiting room. He hummed the melody in her ear, stopping every so often to kiss her somewhere on her face, and he whispered, softly, "Hallelujah" every time the singer did.

He was halfway to putting her to sleep when ken barreled back into the room. "Dad made it in there just in time. As soon as walked into the room me poppin' out. It' s a boy," he said. "But you knew that." He laughed and shrugged and asked them if they wanted to meet his little brother.

They looked at each other, rising from their chairs to meet the new, little, miracle.

* * *

The next morning, everyone was exhausted. Fin had called out, for obvious reasons, leaving Olivia and Elliot to handle the brunt of everything. Cases were flying at them left and right, and they had just set out to head to the next brutal scene, when Trevor Langan walked into the bullpen.

All eyes were on him, people were waiting for him to say something. He simply made a grunting noise and held up an elegant wedding invitation. White with black and gold embossed writing, an intricate design around the edge, and a beautifully scripted monogram on the back. "Explain," he commanded.

"Well, what's it say?" Elliot asked, his lips threatening to curl up into a smirk.

"It says that Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson request the honor of my presence at their wedding," Trevor hissed, his jaw clenched as he glared at Elliot.

The smirk on Elliot's face was full and bright now. "Self-explanatory."

Trevor's eyes traveled to Olivia. "Is this for real? This is some kind of joke, right? April Fool's Day in March?"

Olivia shook her head. "You asked who he was, Trevor. That's him," she said, pointing to Elliot.

"You're really marrying him?" Trevor asked. "You're marrying him two months from today, actually," he mumbled, looking down at the invitation. "How…why did…your save the date didn't say it was a wedding. It just said that you were having a party for…"

"We know it didn't," Elliot interrupted. "We wanted it to be a surprise. We really enjoyed keeping it to ourselves. Reactions like this make it so much better."

Trevor took another step forward, almost threateningly. "You have no idea what you're doing. What you're about to do."

"I am marrying the woman I love," Elliot returned, surprisingly calm. "I'm about to be happy for the rest of my life."

Trevor shook his head and chuckled. "Yeah, good luck with that." He eyed Olivia suspiciously and said, "Three years, Olivia. Three years, and every time I asked, you said you had no desire to get married."

"That was a long time ago, Trevor," Olivia said with a sigh. "Things have changed."

Trevor swallowed, and he blinked as he looked down at the gorgeous invitation in his hand. "We'll be there," he said. "Alex and I…we'll be there." He sent one last look toward Olivia, and then he turned and walked out of the room.

"One down," Olivia said, grabbing the car keys.

Elliot put on his jacket. "Ninety-nine to go." He reached for her, and she willingly walked toward him.

As the night wore on, and people picked up their mail, both of their cell phones had not stopped chirping. Text messages and emails, messages of "Congratulations" and "I knew it," and immediate, excited RSVP's were received with smiles and laughs.

One message, though, only sent to Elliot, held a different expression. "How could you?" it asked, with a page long e-mail asking how he could be so insensitive, how he could be so unfeeling, and how he could possibly completely pass her over for Olivia.

He scoffed at it, deleted it, forgot about it. If it was anyone important, they would have been happy. Hell, even Kathy had sent a text to both of them. She was shocked, but not surprised, and she was upset that she would miss the wedding. He had almost forgotten everything about the cruel and jealousy-riddled letter. Everything but this: He had no idea who had sent it.

**A/N: Who is so pissed off at him? Will they try anything? And someone else reacts to the invitation. Fin comes clean, and we meet his newborn son. Next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: "Sometimes we are so blinded by the one with whom we have fallen in love, we don't pay attention to the ones who've fallen in love with us." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

Olivia hung up the phone, another relative of Elliot's saying they would be there. They were heading out the door, on their way to work, knowing that everyone else would have gotten the invitations, and they had a mix of emotions to deal with today.

Her cell phone buzzed again, and she tapped the screen to answer the text. "What the hell?" she mumbled.

"What?" Elliot asked, looking over his shoulder as he slapped on his watch.

"Uh, is there something you wanna tell me?" she asked, folding her arms and handing him her phone.

He took it, and he furrowed his brow. "Liv, I honestly have no idea what's going on. I got an email from…I guess this person…I have no idea who it is. There has been no one but you. I swear. Not since Kathy, and even when I was with Kathy…I was always with you."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I know where you were, and what you were doing," she quipped. "What do I do? Do I answer her?"

Elliot shrugged. "Ignore it. It's not important. If neither of us knows who it is, then obviously it's just someone playing games, or someone that doesn't even matter. She is right, though."

Olivia looked at him questioningly.

"You're a bitch," he said with a wink. "When you have to be, you're a big one, baby." He kissed her, grabbed his keys, and tugged on her hand. He led her out of their door and into their car, not realizing they were being watched.

* * *

They laughed, cracking inside jokes and kissing sweetly, making the ride to work pleasant. "What do you think he's gonna do?" he asked.

"Cragen?" Olivia questioned. "No idea. But we didn't get any letters or phone calls from anyone in personnel so we're okay, so far."

He lifted their joined hands to his lips, pressing a light kiss to each knuckle. "We're gonna be okay, anyway. No matter what. We expected something, right? We're expecting something to happen."

She sighed. "Not now," she said quietly. "Not after Charlotte told me we weren't really breaking any rules."

He scoffed. "I'm still expecting something," he said. "Those papers are in my desk, signed, if that's what it comes down to, Liv. You're more important to me, as a wife and lover, than this job is with you as a partner."

"You're really a romantic guy, Elliot Stabler," she said, shaking her head.

He laughed. "I try," he mused. He parked the car and kissed her deeply, cupping her face for a long moment. "We have to go inside, don't we?"

She swept her tongue over his lips. "Eventually," she whispered. She pulled him closer making the kiss deeper, let out a quiet moan, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, baby," he replied, begrudgingly pulling away from her. He opened his car door, then walked around to open hers.

The pair of eyes watching them narrowed, and the woman followed them into the building, a safe distance back, but wondering why her little plan hadn't yet worked. Why weren't they fighting? Why weren't they up in arms about who had been upset by the news of their nuptials?

Stepping into the precinct, they took a long look at each other, then set themselves to "Work-Mode." They walked, synchronized, over to the elevator, and they waited for the doors to open.

"Detectives," a woman's voice behind them called. "You're in for a hard morning."

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Are we?" she asked. She gave Kelley Gaffney a look up and down, and stepped into the opening metal lift. "Why?"

"You've got a man coming in, accused of rape one, harboring a fugitive, and domestic sexual assault. A man I will be defending, since the complaining witness is his psychotic mother-in-law."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Are you telling me this man is being accused of raping his wife…by his wife's mother?" He hid the smirk, not wanting to reveal they had been working on this case for the past two days, and the mother wasn't the only one complaining.

Gaffney nodded. "Sounds fishy, since I'm sure when Benson goes to interview the wife, she'll deny anything of the sort happened."

"And Stabler," Olivia said. "If I go, he goes," she said, watching the number on the wall change.

Elliot tilted his head. "Why are you defending him?" he asked. "Aren't you with the DA's office?"

"Was," Gaffney said with a smirk. "Henshall and Langan offered me more money, a nicer office, and a sweet benefits package." Her hand skidded up Elliot's arm, her eyes flickered with an odd emotion, and she said, "They're always hiring, Elliot."

Olivia grabbed Gaffney's wrist, tugging her hand off of and away from Elliot. "He's perfectly happy here," she said, "With me."

"Yeah," Gaffney scoffed. "I got a peek at that snazzy invitation, by the way. I'm sensing a divorce in your future. I happen to know a few good lawyers."

Olivia smirked. "Just so you're prepared," she said, stepping off of the elevator, "Elliot and I already talked to Bernardo's wife. She had two black eyes, a busted lip, and she couldn't walk. She cried, she told us everything, her story fits right in with her mother's." She nodded at Gaffney as they stepped into the bullpen. "Guess we'll see you in court."

Elliot chuckled as he dropped his keys onto his desk. "I'm guessing you think she's the one that sent you that text?"

"Tell the man what he's won, Mickey!" she joked, sliding a cup of coffee over to him.

"You two," Munch said, turning to them, "Are crazy."

Elliot sipped the coffee, made a face, and put his mug down. "Wow, Munch, next time try using coffee grounds and not fertilizer." He coughed, looked up, and asked, "Why are we crazy?"

Munch sat back. "You planned a wedding, you've been engaged for how the hell long, you keep this huge secret, you send out five-thousand-dollar invitations to everyone you know, and you come into work like nothing's changed." He shook his head and laughed. "You're crazy."

Olivia chuckled. "They weren't that expensive," she said, sipping her coffee. She made the same face Elliot did and dropped her mug to her desk. "Wow, can you never make the coffee again?"

"Hey, it's sewage, mud, or swill," Munch said with a shrug. "I alternate between the three."

Elliot laughed. "Look, man, it was the only way we could do this without anyone jumping down our throats," he said, answering the man's real question. "Has, uh, has Cragen seen the…"

"Oh, yeah," Munch said, exaggerating his horror. "It wasn't pretty. He stormed in here, threw a few things around, called you both a couple of rotten names…and then he framed the invitation and made a phone call to the chief, only to find out you had already done that."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other, then both rose to their feet and headed toward the man's office. Elliot knocked, holding his breath.

"Come in," Cragen said, knowing it was them. He lifted his head from his work as they walked in, and he watched them sit down, looking terrified. "I don't know whether to congratulate you or smack you both in the damned head."

"Cap, we couldn't do this with everyone knowing," Elliot said quickly. "It would have been hell, with everyone giving us advice we didn't want or need, all the questions we wouldn't want to answer, all of the attention neither of us would be comfortable with…"

"I get it," Cragen interrupted. "It's against policy, ya know."

Olivia squinted. "But Sergeant O'Harrah said that…"

"Not department," Cragen said. "Unit. It's against this unit's policy, and as far as I knew, it was against someone's personal policy."

Olivia shrunk in her seat. "With Elliot it…"

"You two think I'm blind, don't you?" Cragen interrupted again. "I knew the moment you shook hands for the first time that this would happen. I mean, I wasn't thinking marriage, but I knew you'd end up together somehow. It took longer than I expected, and I have to say, I'm a bit surprised you allowed yourselves to have an affair. I thought, if anything…"

"Captain," Elliot cut in, "With all due respect, we didn't come in here for a lesson in morals and ethics, or so you could analyze every aspect of our relationship. We came in here to find out if you're splitting us up or not."

Cragen sighed, running a hand down his face. "Someone once told me that you two were too close, closer than partners should be, and that you were emotionally attached."

Olivia shook her head and sat up straighter. "Cap, we can…"

"He also said that splitting you up would be the biggest mistake I could possibly make," Cragen told them. "He said I would lose both of you if I did that, and I can't take that risk."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "So…" he gestured to the captain, wanting an answer.

"So," Cragen sighed, "I'm taking a different but just as big a risk. Get to work. Bernado's coming in with Fin, you'll need to talk to him now that you have his wife's statement."

"Both of us?" Olivia asked.

Cragen nodded. "But as far as you're both concerned, from the time you walk into this building to the time you leave, you're nothing more than partners."

"Been that way for the last two years, hasn't it?" Elliot asked, a hint of arrogance in his voice as he realized just how much they'd really gotten away with over the years.

Cragen smirked. "Not to me," he said, "But close enough." He waited until they were halfway out the door, and then he said, "When you see Doctor Huang, thank him for his insightful evaluation of the two of you."

Elliot laughed, opening the door. He knew George had a hand in all of this, and he made a mental note to repay him one day. Now, though, it was back to work.

* * *

Olivia was the first one out of the interrogation room, looking livid. "That woman has balls."

"Bernardo?" Fin asked, confused.

Olivia shook her head. "No, Gaffney. She's got a hard-on for Elliot, and she spent the entire interrogation countering our questions by shoving her boobs in his face. He actually had to stand in the corner facing the mirror for an hour, then he spent the rest of the time behind me, shielding himself from her. She's…"

"She's right behind you," Munch said, pointing.

Olivia turned, daring the woman to speak with a glare.

Saying nothing, the woman left, laughing under her breath, thinking of the next best way to get Elliot. "Wow," Elliot said, stepping out of the room. He was followed by two uniformed officers, Alex Cabot, and Bernardo in cuffs.

"That was torture," Alex said, slipping a notebook into her briefcase, "But you got a confession."

"I think he just said it all to stop Gaffney from trying to get in my pants," Elliot said with a scoff. "No one wanted to see that."

Fin chuckled. "Guess not everyone is on board with this whole wedding thing," he said.

"Hey," Elliot said, slapping Fin in the arm, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Fin eyed him for a moment, then rose to his feet. He followed Elliot into the hallway, looked around, and asked, "What?"

"If you needed overtime, you could have asked me to…"

"Look, man, I handled it, all right?" Fin snapped.

Elliot shook his head. "You handled it by lying to your friends, to your wife. Man, she thinks you've been cheating on her! And you know Liv and I would have given you some of our shifts if you needed…"

"I needed more than just a shift or two," Fin interrupted. "I didn't tell Mel because I know she woulda flipped about me workin' with Jeffries. Ya know, she woulda assumed something was goin' on. Olivia's not even my partner, and I had to deal with her accusin' me of tryin' to get with her."

"Did you tell her the truth?" Elliot asked, folding his arms.

Fin nodded, and he sighed. "She knows now," he said. "She wants me to quit. She said we don't need the extra cash, she'd rather have me home."

"And?" Elliot prodded.

Fin let out another breath. "And…I handed in a letter of resignation this morning,' man."

Elliot slapped him on the shoulder. "Good," he said. "You can concentrate on your family, and Munch needs you here."

Fin shook his head. "Nah, man. You don't get it. I handed Cragen the letter. I'm goin' back to Narcotics full time. I'm leavin' the unit." He turned away from Elliot, walking back into the squad room.

Elliot was stunned, but he followed Fin. He sat in his chair, looked at Olivia, and both eyes widened as he exhaled harshly. He told himself when he woke up that morning that he was ready for anything.

Clearly, he was wrong.

**A/N: Coming up, a heart-to-heart with Dickie, Olivia plays matchmaker to save her own relationship, and Elliot tries to convince Fin to change his mind. Will it all work? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: "Sometimes we worry more about others than we do ourselves. That can cost us more than we're afraid to lose." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

Olivia awoke to the sound of running water. She blinked, confused for a moment, and then she smiled. She tossed the covers off, got out of the bed, and walked softly toward the bathroom. She turned the knob, stepped into the steamy room, and shed her too-large tee-shirt, the only thing she'd worn to bed.

He heard the curtain slide, and he grinned. He chuckled when he felt her hands sprawling over his chest, and he gripped her arms, holding her around him. "Morning," he said over his shoulder.

"Good morning," she purred into his ear, sucking the lobe into her mouth.

He moaned as he turned around, the hot water rolling down his body. "You're in a mood, aren't you?"

"Just making sure you have no reason to take Gaffney up on her offer," she said, her smirk wicked.

He smirked back and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, honey, every day I'm reminded of at least a hundred reasons why I'm the luckiest son of a bitch in the world." He kissed her neck, absently lapping at a rolling drop of water.

She ran her hands down his back again, brushing water off of him in the process, and moaned softly. She felt his lips traveling down her skin, and tried to concentrate on something else before letting things heat up. "Oh, um, I got a call last night. Your son…"

"I know," he mumbled as he kissed her pulse, beating beneath her skin. "I'm gonna talk to him, I promise."

She sighed and her left hand trailed up the length of his spine. "I don't want to make him feel weird, or embarrass him."

"He's a boy, baby." He kissed her lips and reached for the shampoo bottle on the shelf. "This happens, ya know. Men can't control their reactions to women, and we definitely can't help falling in love with them, even if it's wrong. Especially when someone incredible beautiful and smart and strong comes along."

She raised an eyebrow. "We're not still talking about Dickie, are we?"

He chuckled and shook his head as he squirted some of the clean-smelling shampoo into his hand. "Like father like son," he said. "But it's his teacher, so I can't exactly let him get to the point we made it to," he laughed.

She laughed and kissed him, loving the way his hands felt in her hair as he lathered the cream into foam and massaged her scalp. "That would be bad," she whispered.

He hummed in agreement, backed her up under the hot spray, and carefully avoided her eyes as he rinsed her hair. "You know," he said softly, "This is my favorite part of the morning."

"Washing my hair for me?" she joked.

"Yeah," he said seriously. "Our little routine, Liv. You meet me in the shower most days, if one of us doesn't have to leave early. We spend a good hour in here, just being alone with each other, talking, kissing, sometimes more than kissing," he said with a waggling eyebrow. "Baby, it's more romantic and special to me than you know."

She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling. "I think I have an idea." She applied a bit of pressure to his back, urging him closer to her.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her, and he laughed when he felt her hand move to the top of his head, returning the favor he had done for her.

* * *

After their hot shower, and a slow, quiet, bout of sex against the tiles, they got dressed and ate a quick breakfast, which for Olivia was half of an unbuttered English muffin. She kissed each child on the head, then kissed Elliot on the lips and said, "I'll tell Cragen you're gonna be late."

He nodded at her, and he grabbed his keys. "Mo," he said to his oldest daughter, "I'm gonna drive Dickie to school. Tell the bus driver he won't be there."

Maureen looked at him suspiciously, but then she said, "Okay," shrugged, and walked out with her sisters.

"What's up, Dad?" the only boy asked. His backpack was slung over his shoulder and he looked like a small version of his father.

Elliot smiled at him, and he held the door open. "I just wanna spend a little guy time with you, kid. You guys are gonna be here for a while, you're the only boy in the house, I guess I just figured we should do this once a week. A drive across town, you and me, just talking and…"

"Is this about Miss Watson?" he asked, interrupting Elliot's unplanned and nervous-sounding speech. "Did she call you?"

Elliot sighed, getting into the car. "Yeah," he said. "She told Liv you wrote a couple of poems for class that, uh, may have implied that you had a crush on…"

"Wait," Dickie said, his face paling. "Liv knows?"

Elliot furrowed his brow. "She's your stepmother, kiddo. She understands, and she knows that sometimes kids your age develop crushes on…"

"This is so embarrassing," Dickie complained. "I thought Miss Watson was gonna be cool about it. She said she was just gonna tell you I had a crush on someone older! I never thought that…"  
"Dickie, I had the biggest crush on my math teacher when I was your age." Elliot laughed and said, "I brought her an apple every day, and I used to make up these ridiculous algebra problems so that the letters in the answers would spell out 'I love you.' I had it bad."

Dickie looked at his father, not amused, and asked, "What does that have to do with me having a crush on Liv?"

Elliot choked a bit as the car swerved and several people honked at him. "What?"

"You mean…you didn't…you thought the poems were about Miss Watson?" Dickie asked, shrinking into his seat. "Great. Me and my big mouth."

Elliot glanced at him, smirking. He chuckled to himself, and he said, "Your secret's safe with me. Just, uh, try to find someone your own age that you think has the same qualities you like about Liv."

"I seriously doubt I'm gonna find someone my age who can shoot a fly on the wall from fifty feet away," Dickie said, rolling his eyes.

Elliot chuckled, and then he sighed. "Yeah, that's probably one of my favorite things about her, too."

"You're not mad?" Dickie asked, hopeful.

"Of course not," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I understand. I just…she's gonna be your mother…"

"I know," Dickie said. "Believe me, I know."

Elliot laughed again, nudged his son in the arm, and watched as he got out of the car and headed into the school. "Poor kid," he mumbled, pulling away from the curb. "It's impossible to get over Liv." He laughed as he headed for the station, feeling more like a little kid with a crush than his son.

* * *

He walked in, and he stopped in his tracks as he saw Olivia on her cell phone, scribbling and doodling on a post-it as she talked.

She looked up at him and held up a finger, and she said, "That sounds great, Ryan. Thank you so much. And if nothing happens, I'll think of something else." She hung up and smirked at Elliot.

"What?" he asked.

"Guess who just agreed to take the defense attorney from hell out to dinner tonight?" she asked, feeling proud of herself.

Elliot laughed. "Poor Ryan," he said, shaking his head. "He must really like you."

"He really likes us, and the fact that we're getting married," she said with a shrug. "He told me he'd do anything he had to do to keep her away from you."

Elliot chuckled. "That's a true friend, right there," he said. "Speaking of friends, uh, have you seen Fin yet?"

Olivia pointed toward Cragen's office. "He's been in there for an hour. I haven't heard any yelling, but it can't be good."

"I'll be right back," Elliot said, rising. He walked over to the office door, knocked, and entered when he heard a mumbled voice tell him to go in. He looked at Cragen, and then at Fin, and he sat. "I have something to say," he said.

Cragen folded his arms, and Fin nodded.

Elliot looked at Fin and said, "Whatever they're offering you in Narcotics, man, it's not worth leaving your friends behind, is it?" He lowered his eyes. "I hope not, anyway. Before you make a final decision, I need to tell you that it wouldn't be the same without you. You're the only one I trust with Liv besides myself, and God forbid I'm not around, I need you there. Munch will flip if you leave him the way his last two partners did, and I think I speak for all of us when I say the way you are, your jokes and your attitude, you break up the monotony around here."

Fin blinked and stared at Elliot. "Elliot, man, I…"

"I'm not done," Elliot said. "I don't know if that has anything to do with money, or if Jeffries really did get to you, but I need you here. I do. You're the best friend I've got, besides Liv, and without you around I'm gonna be in big trouble. I'll start talking to her, the way I would talk to you, and you know how hard she hits."

Fin chuckled. "El, listen to me for a minute." He nodded at Cragen, then looked back at Elliot. "Cap ain't letting me go anywhere. He made me realize I was leavin' for all the wrong reasons. I need to be here. But, uh, what you said…it was pretty cool, man."

Elliot smiled. "That's what friends are for, Fin." He slapped him on the shoulder and got up. "Sorry I interrupted."

"While you're here," Cragen said as he handed him a piece of yellow paper and said, "Take this. Go. Be careful. And don't get personally involved."

Elliot looked down and let out a small gasp. They got a call from Trinity Prep, the school at which he had just dropped his son off, where his other kids were. He left the office, grabbed his keys, and shot Olivia a look.

She rose quickly, not liking the look in his eyes, and followed him.

Their job was about to get harder.

**A/N: Oh, my! What happened? Does Ryan really pick up Gaffney? What happens when Casey finds out? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: "It's not hard to avoid taking your work home with you, it's trying to keep your home away from your work that's troubling."**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns the characters. That's pretty much it. Everything else written before you is pure TStabler©**

"Relax," Olivia said, her arms folded as they waited outside of a classroom. "Please? The last thing you need is..."

"This is the last thing I need," he spat, his lip caught between his teeth. "My daughter's best friend is the victim here, my son's best friend is the perp...and you want me to relax."

She raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to him. "We don't get to pick the vic, remember? We don't get to pick the perp, either. The kids need you to be their rock, here, they're all hysterical."

He sighed and ran his hand down his face. "I've known these kids since they were in pre-school, Liv. This is..."

"This can't get personal," she said, her eyes dimming and turning cold.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Right," he said, scoffing slightly. He saw the classroom door open, and the principal stepped out with the boy in front of him.

"Detective Stabler," the principal said, "You know Luke Swanson. His mother and father are on his way, you can all wait in my office. I'm going to call the hospital and check on Molly."

The principal walked away and the boy blinked up at Elliot. "Mister Stabler?"

"What, Luke?" Elliot asked, leading the boy to the principal's office.

The boy coughed and sniffled. "How much trouble am I in?"

Elliot looked at him, sighed, and opened the office door. "It depends on what you did, kid," he said. He watched Luke walk into the office and sit down, and he looked at Olivia.

She shook her head and let out a breath, and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Back at the squad room, several hours later, Elliot was wrapped up in a hart-to-heart conversation with Luke's father, Olivia was trying to get a hold of Kathy, and her least favorite person had just walked into the room.

"Where's my client, Benson?" the woman asked, folding her arms.

Olivia rolled her eyes and hung up the phone. "In the interview room with Elliot and his parents."

"You weren't interrogating him without me, were you?" Gaffney asked, smirking. "That's a no-no."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and let her lips curl into a half-snarl. "We know how to do our jobs," she said. "Elliot's just asking the standard questions and doling out the info, making sure they all know the severity of what Luke's done."

Gaffney turned to head into the room, but turned back. "Do you know Ryan O'Halloran, down in the lab?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, nodding.

Gaffney let out a breath and asked, "Is he okay? I mean, sane, non-violent? Does he smoke?"

"He's a great guy," Olivia said. "No, he doesn't smoke, and as far as I know he doesn't have any mental illnesses."

Gaffney nodded, turned toward the interrogation room, and disappeared. Olivia smirked and chuckled to herself as she moved to follow her, but someone else walked into the room.

"Olivia?" a voice called from the doorway.

She turned, annoyed now, but when she saw who it was, she softened. "Casey," she said, stepping forward.

Casey looked around the room, she was pale and shaky, and she seemed out of it. "Is there...can we talk somewhere...not here?"

Olivia dragged her lip through her teeth and sighed. She nodded, and then she led Casey up the stairs, into the lounge. She gestured to the couch, and as Casey sat she sat in a chair across from her, and said, "What's up?"

Casey took a deep breath and said, "He's got a date. He has a date, tonight. I only just left...my stuff is still in the house...I..."

"You're sleeping with someone else, but he's not allowed to go on a date?" Olivia asked, not following her logic. "Are you really..."

"He's supposed to fight for me," Casey interrupted, whispering. "He was supposed to fight, the whole damn time. He wasn't supposed to..."

"Was this just a game, Casey?" Olivia asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "You broke his heart, he was completely shattered, and you're telling me you brought home that guy..."

Casey interrupted. "Clark,"

"Whatever," Olivia hissed. "You brought him home to see what kind of reaction you'd get? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Casey scoffed. "Me? At least I was making an attempt to keep my own husband instead of stealing someone else's," she said with venom in her voice.

"Low," Olivia said through a clenched jaw. "Come down off of that high horse you're on, Casey, because Ryan is only taking her out as a favor to me, so she'll stop trying to get in Elliot's pants! He's doing his best friend a favor, he is taking her to dinner to show her that she doesn't need..."

"You asked him to...I thought you were my friend, Olivia," Casey said, sounding hurt and betrayed.

Olivia laughed bitterly. "I thought you wanted Clark, I thought Ryan wasn't enough for you. I thought this is what you wanted, ya know? The separation," she said, folding her arms. "I didn't think you'd mind if he..."

Casey exhaled sharply again. "I'm talking about...I got this invitation in the mail...why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Olivia blinked, unprepared for the change of topic. "We didn't tell anyone, Case. Just the kids, his family. We didn't even tell Fin."

"Why?" Casey asked, holding her gaze.

"This is why," Olivia said, looking around and waving a hand. "Everyone would have been so damn curious about every little detail, they would have taken bets on when we'd have our first child, we'd be scrutinized every damn day in this place, people wondering if we could still work together without letting our personal relationship get in the way. We just wanted to plan it together and spend some time alone without everyone looking at us through some kind of fucking microscope." She shook her head and looked down. "He was gonna transfer to avoid it all until we found out he didn't have to."

Casey held out a hand, and she felt relieved when Olivia dropped hers into it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to hide it from everyone, and I'm sorry we aren't the people you thought we were." She blinked. "Me and Ryan, I mean. You thought we'd be perfect together, and he...he is perfect for me. It took losing him to realize it."

Olivia gave her a sad smile. "Case, you weren't happy. You needed to do what was best for you, even though you knew it would hurt." She gave Casey's hand a squeeze. "It'll get easier, just let it go, and be happy with Clark."

Casey sniffled and nodded. "I should let you get back to work," she said, getting off of the couch. "I...I really am happy for you and Elliot."

"I know you are," Olivia said, standing as well. "You were trying to get us together."

"I didn't know you already were," Casey said with a shrug. She followed Olivia down the stairs, catching a glimpse of the suddenly packed squad room. "I think I might be needed here, actually," she said, walking to an empty desk.

Olivia walked over to Elliot, rested her hands on her hips, and asked, "What the hell happened, here?"

Elliot ran a hand down his face, looked over his shoulder to make sure he couldn't be heard, and said, "Once word of what happened, and who we had in custody, got out to the rest of the school, seven other girls came forward, claiming they were attacked at school."

"Luke?" Olivia asked.

Elliot shook his head. "Molly recanted, Luke was just trying to help her get cleaned up. She got so scared...she just blamed him."

"So who's the real perp?" she asked, worried.

Elliot took a breath, let it out, and said, "DiCarlo."

"The principal?" Olivia questioned. "Shit," she spat, grabbing her keys. "We gotta go get the kids!"

* * *

Elliot yawned, tossing his pencil onto his desk. He saw Olivia coming out of the interview room, a young girl at her side. The parents hugged her, the girl did, too, and they walked out. He smiled at her as she watched after them, and when her head turned to him, he looked away.

"Where are the kids?" she asked, smirking at his sudden shyness.

"Upstairs, sleeping," he told her. "They're a little shaken up, ya know? Finding out someone they all trusted..."

"I know," she interrupted. "We can take them home now. That was the last interview."

He looked up at her and he shook his head, amazement in his eyes. "You're brilliant. I mean that, in every sense of the word."

"You figured that out because I wanna go home?" she asked, folding her arms.

He chuckled and stood up. "You were the calm one at the school. You kept me in check. We come back here and you deal with Casey's minor breakdown, and then you deal with seven traumatized girls...I just...you didn't even break a sweat."

She laughed. "I was a nervous wreck, El. I was terrified that Mo, or Katie, or Lizzie would tell us that son of a bitch did something to them. Every time I talked to those girls and their parents, I waited for them to say something I wasn't ready to hear, that's why I compartmentalize. If I let every thought, every worry come fully to life, I'd never get my job done."

He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it gently. "You're amazing," he said. He raised an eyebrow then, and he said, "Kathy finally called back. Their plane just landed, and they're staying in France tonight before heading into Italy. She wants us to send the kids her love, and she wanted to know if you drink white wine."

"Wedding gift?" Olivia asked, smirking. She headed up the stairs to the cribs, hearing him hum an answer. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her if it was made with fruit and had alcohol in it, you'd drink it," he said with a smug grin. "We should be expecting several bottles of Europe's finest."

Olivia chuckled, turning the knob to the bunkroom. She pushed the door open, and she fell quiet.

"Look at them, baby," he said in a whisper, nodding to his kids, curled up in the beds. "I hate like hell to wake them up."

She looked over at him and she smiled. She took off her jacket, unclipped her badge, and unholstered her gun, putting it all on a top bunk. "We won't, then." She walked further into the room, sat on an empty bed, and waited.

"You're serious?" he questioned, taking off his gunclip and badge. "Really?"

"I honestly don't think either of us can stay awake to drive home, anyway," she said, untucking her button down shirt, thankful it was long, and slipping off her pants. She yawned, flattening out and getting under the wool covers.

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head, as he stripped down to his shirt and boxers, and he crawled into the bed beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her neck, and whispered, "One month, two weeks, and three days. Not that I'm keeping track or anything."

She chuckled and snuggled closer to him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," he whispered, shutting his eyes.

She kissed him as she fell deeper into him, letting him wrap her tight in his arms and under the covers. She let her mind wander as she tried to fall asleep, and she hoped, briefly, that Ryan and Gaffney were hitting it off. She would do anything to keep Elliot all to herself.

Anything.

**A/N: How did the date go? Melinda stops by with the baby. Alex and Trevor invite Elliot and Olivia to dinner, and drop a bombshell of their own. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: "When love between two people is strong, the only thing that can destroy it is marriage. Only the very lucky, and the very in love, can survive that."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Ow," Olivia mumbled, stretching over the back of her chair.

Munch chuckled, dropping a mug of coffee onto her desk. "That'll teach you to sleep up on those sorry excuses for beds." He sipped his own sludge, smirking.

"Didn't really have a choice, Munch," she said, begrudgingly sipping the coffee.

Elliot rubbed his eyes and yawned, saying, "We didn't wanna wake the kids."

"You all slept up there?" Munch asked. "That explains why they all ran out of here this morning, wearing NYPD tee shirts."

Olivia pointed to Elliot. "That's why we're all wearing them," she said. "God bless storage closets."

"That actually looks really cute," Elliot said, gesturing to her with a nod. "The tee-shirt under your suit jacket, with those pants. You look cute in tee shirts."

She raised an eyebrow. "You look hot in jeans, what's your point?" she chuckled.

He threw a pen at her, narrowly missing her head and sending it sailing over her shoulder into the head of the detective behind her. He chuckled and said, "Sorry, Briscoe."

The young detective narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and went back to work.

"Nice one, Stabler," Olivia teased, shaking her head in mock disapproval.

"Where are the two of you on this DiCarlo case?" Cragen asked, his arms folded. "You gonna get some work done or sit there and play footise all damn day?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "We couldn't even if we wanted to, the desks are in the way."

Cragen squinted and scoffed. "Funny," he said, biting. "Go find out where Alex is on his arraignment, if you see Langan, tell him if he even tries to defend this sick fuck I will personally see to it that he never has children."

Olivia watched as he stormed off, slamming the office door behind him. "Wow." She looked at Elliot and sighed. "Something's bugging him."

"Ya think?" Elliot asked, getting out of his chair.

Fin tilted his head. "Could be the fact that his best team just landed him in some pretty hot water with the rat squad."

"IAB?" Elliot asked. "How the hell did we do that?"

Fin twirled a pen around in his hand as he explained. "You're getting married, that's strike one. Then you land in the middle of a case that you could have personal involvement with, your kids go to the school, they know the perp. Hell, you two even know the asshole. That's strike two. Tucker and Cullen are gonna be watching you like hawks," he said, sipping his coffee. "Munch, man, please…just…read the directions on the box or somethin,' because this ain't healthy."

Munch looked at him and made a face, then Olivia and Elliot both looked at each other, worried, as they headed out, toward the courthouse.

* * *

When they got back, they were pleasantly surprised to see Melinda, sitting in Fin's chair with a tiny boy in her arms. "Mel!" Olivia gasped, "What are you doing here? I thought the doctor said…"

"I am a doctor, Benson," Melinda said, smiling. "I wanted to bring Kyle down to see his Godparents."

"What?" Elliot asked softly, an odd look in his eyes and a small smile on his face.

Melinda grinned. "We were talking last night, and we thought…after everything you two have done…and Elliot, you're his best friend, it's only right that it be you."

Olivia reached out as Melinda placed the tiny boy into her arms. "He's beautiful," she whispered.

"You're a natural, Olivia," Munch said, smiling at her holding the baby.

Melinda nodded. "You're gonna be a great mother."

"Yes, she is," Elliot said, his hand resting on the small of her back as he peered down at the boy.

She moved closer to him, almost snuggling, when Cragen's door opened. "Benson! Stabler!"

Olivia moved away fast, holding onto the baby. "What?" she snapped back inquisitively. She looked toward Cragen's office and saw him standing between Tucker and Cullen, the IAB team that always gave them trouble. Internal Affairs always had their noses where they didn't belong.

"DiCarlo?" Cragen barked, annoyed.

Olivia handed the baby, now sleeping, back to Melinda. "Langan not his defense, but Henshall is. Gaffney was gonna take it, but she took one look at who the lead detectives on the case were and dropped it."

"Wonder why," Elliot said with a smirk. "Alex has his arraignment scheduled for noon today, and she's going for remand without bail, citing him as flight risk."

Cragen nodded, then eyed Elliot for a moment. "You went there and back, yeah?"

"Yeah," Elliot nodded, confused. "Where else would we have gone?"

"Just asking," Cragen said. "See yourselves out, gentlemen." He nodded to Tucker and Cullen and walked back into his office.

Tucker sighed, then walked over and held out a hand to Elliot. "Stabler, I got the invitation. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Ed," he said, shaking his hand. "If you're okay with this, why are you jamming up the captain?"

"It's my job, Elliot," Tucker said with a shrug. "Policy and regulations require me to look into all of your cases, see if this has affected your working relationship at all, and the case you're on now…it's personal. You two have to be watched."

"It's not personal," Elliot said, shaking his head. "My kids, thank God, were not involved in this, they never saw anything, they were never alone with DiCarlo, and no one told them anything."

"Probably because their father's a cop," Cullen said. "I know I would keep my mouth shut around them, and the last kid DiCarlo would touch is a sex crimes detective's daughter."

Elliot scoffed. "Usually they hate it, but this time…it may have saved their lives." He sighed and said, "Trust me on this, you don't have to worry about Liv and I doing our job."

"Never said I did," Tucker said curtly. "I just said it was my job to watch you. I'm not expecting to see anything abnormal, you two have always been a pain in my ass. Why would getting married change that?"

Olivia chuckled, her arms folded. "How's Diane?" she asked.

Tucker looked away from her. "Gone," he said. "She couldn't handle being the wife of a cop. I will…I'll see you both later." He walked out quickly, followed by Cullen, and left the room in silence.

"Damn," Elliot said, short and breathy. "Poor guy."

Munch nodded, but said, "It's not easy being married to people like us. You know that better than anyone, Stabler. Guess you're making the right move by marrying one of your own."

"Yeah," he said with a small laugh. "No danger of her wondering where I am, who I'm with, or hating the fact that I work so many hours."

"No, all you have to worry about is me ragging on you for the way you do things," Olivia said. "Partners at work, and at home? You have to deal with me always being right in both places."

"I've been dealing with it for two years," he said with a wink. "I can handle it for the rest of my life."

Fin walked in, then, and immediately ran to give Melinda and the baby soft kisses. "How are the loves of my life doin' today?"

"I'd be better if Jeffries stopped calling," Melinda said, smiling at him with a glimmer of annoyance in her eyes.

Fin sighed. "You know that's completely one-sided," he said, walking toward the coffee pot.

"Yeah," Melinda said, sighing and getting up. "Just make it stop, Fin. Only you know how."

Fin sipped his coffee, eyed his wife, and nodded. "I'll get her to back off," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Fin," Melinda said, kissing his cheek. "See you at home."

Fin nodded, then watched Melinda walk out with the baby. "Shit," he breathed, dropping into his chair.

"What?" Elliot asked, tilting his head.

"Monique keeps callin,'" Fin said. "Askin' why I quit, what she did, and…I didn't tell Mel this, but she…she offered to…do stuff."

"Stuff?" Munch asked, raising an eyebrow behind his specs.

"Ya know," Fin said. "Stuff," he said, looking down into his lap.

Elliot's eyes widened. "I thought she hated you," he said, surprised.

Fin shrugged. "Guess she had a change of heart."

Munch yawned. "I'm wiped. This day has been too damn long."

"Really?" Olivia asked, rubbing her shoulder. "At least you got a descent night's sleep."

Cragen bolted out of his office again. "Tutuola, Munch," he yelled, handing them a slip of paper. "Report of a DV assault in progress, go."

Munch was up in seconds, followed by Fin, and they jetted out the door. Cragen turned to Olivia and Elliot, folded his arms, and said, "You two, get out there and get me some rock solid evidence on DiCarlo."

Olivia glanced at him, nodded, and tugged on her jacket, pulling it down to meet the hem of her grey NYPD tee-shirt. Elliot licked his lips, momentarily fantasizing about what lay underneath those clothes.

Cragen watched them leave, and he felt a wave of happiness wash over him. Despite the hell it was raising, they belonged together, and he knew it.

* * *

After revisiting the evidence logs, several rape kit results, and a few of the victims, they're day had come to an end. They drove, silent, stiff, and yawning, to a small Mexican restaurant, where they'd agreed to meet Trevor and Alex for dinner.

"You don't think this is work-related, do you?" Elliot asked, parking in a space.

"God, I hope not," she said, making sure she looked presentable in the mirror on the sun-shield. She flipped it up and opened her door.

Elliot met her on the side of the car, linked his fingers with hers, and kissed her cheek. "If it is, we'll just leave."

"Good plan," she said, rolling her eyes. "You come up with that all by yourself?"

He smacked her ass with his other hand. "Cheeky woman," he teased.

She chuckled as she opened the door to the place, and she pulled Elliot toward the table at which she'd spotted Trevor.

"Hey," Trevor said, handing them menus as they sat. "She's in the bathroom. She'll be right out."

Olivia smiled. "It's your anniversary, right?" she asked, finally figuring out what the dinner was for.

Trevor nodded, looking up as Alex sat down. "Yes, it is," he said. He smiled at Alex, who looked nervous.

"You don't look so good," Elliot said, holding his glass up so the waiter could pour his water. "Are you all right?"

Alex nodded. "Just…well, we should just get right to the point, here, right?" she said. She folded her hands over Trevor's. "We've been trying…really trying…to have a baby."

Olivia's lips curled into a smile. "Alex, are you…"

"No," she said. "I'm not. I can't…we can't…"

"Apparently," Trevor cut in, "We are two very broken individuals. We've gone to clinics, and talked to doctors, and she's…God, this is ridiculous. I can't do this, Alex."

"Trevor, they'll understand," Alex said, turning to him. "We have to ask. If they say no, we'll just…we'll adopt."

Trevor heaved a sigh, looked at Elliot, and said, "My wife and I would like to know if you two could…"

"Would you talk to that girl? Patricia Wilson, one of the DiCarlo victims," Alex said.

Elliot narrowed his eyes, letting out a small breath. That is not what he thought she was going to ask. "Why would she have any way to…"

"She's pregnant, Elliot," Trevor said. "It's DiCarlo's, she's sure of it, and she wants to give it up…"

"What?" Olivia interjected.

Alex's face fell. "You…you didn't know?"

Olivia shook her head. "When did you find this out? Why would the doctor's tell you before…"

"Oh, it wasn't a doctor," Trevor said. "It was Gaffney. She had a lot of preliminary files on your victims before she dropped the case. She interviewed witnesses and the girls, and then she said she couldn't take the case, something about not being able to defend a guilty man."

Elliot looked at Olivia. "We'll talk to her," he said. "And it doesn't get much more rock-solid than that."

**A/N: Will the girl give her baby to Alex and Trevor? What does Monique want with Fin? Some family time, and a night alone. Next. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Love, sweet love, the only thing there's just too little of...unless you're these two.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"Are you all right?" Olivia asked, smirking and popping a piece of gum into her mouth.

Elliot nodded, holding the icepack to his chin. "Happens all the time," he said. "Ask a father for a DNA test, get punched in the face. It's what I do."

"They love you when you get the guy, though," she said, grinning.

He scoffed. "Right." He looked at the nurse and said, "Thanks, Julie."

"If you talk to Kathy, tell her to hurry back. I'm dying here without her," the nurse said, shaking her head as she handed Elliot the box of bagged samples.

Elliot handed the box to Olivia, who glared at him, and said, "I won't be talking to her for quite some time, but when I do, I will relay that message." He nodded to her, then bumped Olivia's hip with his to get her to walk.

"Speaking of people we don't wanna talk to, have you heard from Gaffney?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

"No," he said, "But Ryan is ready to kill you. He said he's never met someone so instantly obsessive and clingy, and he had to change his phone number because of her."

She laughed. "At least she's not bothering you," she said. "I called that rep from ACS, she's gonna talk to..."

"Oh, right!" Elliot said, remembering. "Did you tell them we'll need a paternity test before they sign any forms with Alex and Trevor?"

She nodded, stepping out into the cold. "Have to wait two weeks to avoid being too invasive," she said, "But the girl's willing to let us test the baby, and she will gladly let Alex and Trevor take him."

"Can they hold DiCarlo for that long with what we got?" he asked, clicking the alarm on his car.

She waited as he opened the door for her and said, "We have enough evidence against him to do it, this will just be the nail in the coffin."

"Speaking of coffins, Snookums died this morning," he said as he slammed her door and trailed off, heading to the driver's side.

"Oh, no," Olivia said, once he was back in the vehicle. "Really?"

He started the car and pulled out of the lot. "I went to feed him this morning, and there he was, curled up in a little ball on his wheel," he said. "You had to see Lizzie's face, Liv, she broke my heart."

She sighed and said, "Which box did you use?"

"The one from your sneakers," he said. "I didn't touch your boots, or your heels, I know you'd hit me in the head with them if I did."

She laughed, then she said, "Did you tell her she can't get another one? This is the third hamster that's died on her, and I can't stand seeing her cry."

"I told her," he said. "She said she would rather have a cat anyway."

"Absolutely not," she said, shaking her head. "God, I'm getting itchy just thinking about it."

He chuckled. "You're not allergic to cats."

"If we get one, I will be," she said, shooting him a look.

"Gotcha," he said, grinning. "Ya know, the more I listen to us, the more I believe we're already married."

She rolled her eyes. "Cool your jets, pal. Don't rush it," she said, shaking her head. "How are you, really, El?"

"I'm fine," he said, watching the road. "It doesn't even hurt. If he hit me in the eye, or the head, I would probably be bothered, but I'm..."

"Yeah, your jaw's clearly working just fine," she interrupted, snapping her gum and smirking.

He smacked her in the leg and laughed. "A simple 'shut-up' would have sufficed."

She winked at him, then turned to the front. She sighed as they pulled into the parking lot and said, "I really do not wanna go in there right now."

"Well, seeing as how it's only nine in the morning, you have no choice," he said, turning the car off. "Why don't you?"

Her lips twisted into a confused configuration, and she shook her head. "I just don't. All morning I had to listen to that rookie, what's her name, in the uniform?"

"That narrows it down." He laughed and said, "Our new uni is named Carla, Liv."

"Carla," she nodded, as if trying to commit it to memory. "I had to listen to her ask me what my colors were, and if we were planning a honeymoon, and if I was wearing white even though I'm not a virgin."

"How does she know that?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

Olivia lowered her eyes. "I'm over twenty, living in New York, and work in the sex crimes division with the hottest cop in Manhattan for a partner," she said. "Not to mention she's probably overheard a ton of conversations about cases where we all related something to personal experience..."

"Okay," he said, laughing. "So what's wrong with that? She's just interested, honey."

"These are the questions we were trying to avoid," she said, rolling her eyes. "Well, at least, I was."

He leaned over the console and kissed her cheek. "Welcome to real life, baby," he whispered. He opened the door and got out of the car, then walked around to open hers. He took the box from her and watched her get out, then pushed the doors closed.

She smirked. "That ass of yours," she said, "Really comes in handy."

He nodded and laughed, bumping her hip with his. "Yes, it does," he quipped. "Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "We are now entering a no-personal-shit zone. We are nothing more than partners once you open that door."

"Why do you think I don't wanna open it?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she pulled the door open. She let him go before her, and she followed him inside, her eyes landing on his ass. She smirked and laughed, and she rolled her eyes again, this time at herself for checking him out.

"You okay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as they waited for the elevator.

She nodded. "I'll be better once we get home."

"Me, too," he said, smiling and giving her a knowing look. The doors to the elevator opened, and before they could go in, they had to let someone out. "Wow, hi," Elliot said, catching who it was.

"Hi, Stabler," the woman said. She looked at Olivia and nodded. "Benson."

"Jefferies," Olivia said. "You here on a case?"

"No, I, uh, just dropped something off for Fin. You'll see that he gets it?" she asked, smiling as she walked away, not giving them time to answer.

Elliot looked at Olivia. "That was weird," he said.

"Yeah," she agreed, stepping into the elevator. They rode up to their floor to face their day, not knowing what it would bring, but looking forward to its end already.

* * *

"Wow, so...you really shot him?" Dickie asked, looking at Olivia with awe in his eyes.

Olivia scooped some mashed potatoes onto his plate and nodded. "It wasn't as cool as it sounds, Dickie. And it was just in his leg to knock him down and make him drop his gun."

"Still," Dickie shrugged. "Not many of my friends can say that their mother shot a guy at work today."

Elliot snickered. He looked at Olivia and smirked as he forked some chicken into his mouth.

She shook her head at him and then looked back at Dickie. "Your father and I don't shoot people unless we feel our lives, or the life of someone else, is in danger."

"So you guys were in some kind of trouble today?" Maureen asked, putting down her fork. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Calm down," Elliot said, chewing. "We're both fine. Your mother got him before he could even cock the trigger. He was..."

"Our mother?" Kathleen queried, smirking. "Really, Dad?"

The table was silent, and he looked up at Olivia, then at each of his kids. He swallowed and cleared his throat, and wiped his mouth with his napkin, and then he said, "She will be. I think that..."

"Relax," Kathleen said with a laugh, "I was just teasing you. It's cool, Dad, I mean, after all this time we think of her as second mother."

Lizzie nodded, biting into her ear of corn. She swallowed and said, "We should probably get used the idea, I mean the wedding's a month a way."

"One month and two weeks," Elliot said, smirking at Olivia. "Not that I'm counting."

Maureen rolled her eyes. "All those red X's on the calendar in the bathroom say you are."

Elliot laughed. "So I'm counting," he shrugged. "It's important to me. To all of us."

Dickie nodded. "No one's arguing," he said, "But we all know when the wedding is, and we're all already sure of the number of days away it is. You reminding us all the time is making us nervous."

"You're nervous?" Olivia asked. "I'm not."

"Really?" Maureen asked, smiling. "Why not?"

Olivia shrugged as she jabbed her fork into her chicken. "I'm not the type. Ask your father. I only get nervous when I'm not sure about something, if I think I'm making a mistake, or if I think I'm in some kind of trouble. I'm a pretty level headed person, and I'm sure about this, so...no nerves."

"You're not still worried about the dress?" Kathleen asked.

Olivia closed her mouth, moving the fork away from her lips. She sighed. "Thanks, Kat," she said, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

"Liv!" Elliot called, "You can eat the chicken, baby! And the broccoli!"

"Way to go, Katie," Lizzie scolded.

Kathleen shrugged. "I was just saying..."

The teen was interrupted when Elliot's phone rang. He held up a finger as all four kids rolled their eyes. "Stabler. Yeah," he said, his eyes closing. "No, it's fine, we'll...we'll take it. Pick her...Cap, we live..." He looked up at Olivia, who'd come in from the kitchen with a rice cake. "He hung up on me."

Olivia shrugged, then bit into her rice cake. "Where are we going?"

He got up, walked her over to the door, and grabbed his jacket. "Fifth Ave," he said. "Officer involved sexual assault outside of Tiffany's."

Chewing, her eyes widened. "Did he say who..."

"Jefferies," he said, grabbing his gun out of the locked drawer in the end table. "She told the first cop to arrive that it was Fin. Fin was called down to the station, swears he was home with Melinda, Ken, and the baby." He holstered his gun, and he sighed. "We were called in because they think she'll talk to us while IAB and the One-Four deal with Fin."

"Shit," she spat, shaking her head. "There goes our night alone."

"There goes our night, period," he returned, shaking his head. "We love you guys! We'll see you later. Lock this..."

"We know," all four kids answered together. They watched their father and Olivia leave, and they grinned.

"How long do you think they'll be gone?" Kathleen asked.

"Long enough," Dickie said, running toward the closet. "I can't believe they forgot."

Maureen started clearing the plates as Dickie grabbed a large box and two wrapped presents out of the closet. "They've been busy, Dickface, and they're more worried about a wedding than an anniversary. I'm surprised we remembered."

"We?" Lizzie scoffed, wiping the table. "You freaked out when we told you yesterday."

"Well," Maureen said, "You remembered. Let's just do this and go upstairs." She smiled and said, "They're gonna have an amazing night."

**A/N: Had to postpone the night alone, and make this chap short due to lack of a laptop. But I ordered a new one and it should be here in a week or two. Thanks for reading! Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Marriage is like signing a binding contract with the Devil. You screw up once and you lose your soul, but if you do everything right, you live in delicious sin with the only person that matters."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"My head is killing me," Olivia complained, walking through the front door.

Elliot nodded and yawned. "Mine, too," he said. "I think it was both the stress of thinking Fin had something to do with this, and Jeffries whining like a two-year-old."

"Well," she said, taking off her shoes and kicking them to the side, "At least we got her to admit she was lying."

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Yeah, thanks to you. I just can't believe she did this because he told her to stop calling her."

Olivia shook her head. "Some women go crazy when the man they love doesn't love them back," she said.

"You didn't go crazy," he said, reaching out and wrapping one arm around her waist.

She laughed. "You loved me back," she said. "Hell, you made the first move, you Don Juan, you."

He chuckled and bent his head to kiss her neck. She moaned, dropping her head back and rolling her eyes in pleasure, and that's when she saw it. "El," she said, pushing him away a bit.

He turned, looking where she was pointing. "Oh, wow," he said. "What is all that?"

Olivia walked over to the dining room table, set with fine china and a chilling bottle of wine with a candelabra lit in the middle, and a covered silver tray. She picked up the card that rested on one of the plates, and she put a hand over her heart.

"What?" he asked, curious.

"Hey, Mom and Dad," she read. "You've been so preoccupied with work and the wedding, you forgot to take the time to celebrate what today really was. The ninth anniversary of your partnership. For nine years you've been together, fighting the evils of the world and falling in love. For nine years, Mom, you've been a part of the Stabler gang, and it won't be long until you make it official. Have a seat, have a snack, and forgive us for the mess in your room. We did it for you. Love, Maureen, Kathleen, Lizzie and Dickie."

"They think we forgot," he said, trying not to cry.

Olivia sniffled. "They called me Mom," she said, her emotion-filled smile spreading thin.

He laughed and pulled out her chair. He watched her sit, tucked her in, then sat beside her. He popped the cork on the wine and poured it into their glasses, then lifted the cover off of the tray. "Aw, baby, look at this."

"You have the most amazing kids," she said, reaching for a slice of cheese and a cracker.

"No, honey," he said, shaking his head. "We do. They called you their mother, they love you like their mother, just be their mother." He popped a grape into her mouth and handed her the wrapped gift that had "Mom" written on it. "I think this is for you," he said, chewing.

She took the box, took a breath, and opened it. "Oh, my God," she said, her voice cracking. She turned the box toward him and his heart melted. The pendant was a simple golden heart with the word "Mother" scrawled over it in gemstones.

He kissed her temple, then lifted the chain out of the box and looped it around her neck. He kissed the back of her neck after he clasped the necklace, and he peppered her with kisses until he reached her lips. "See? Mother," he said with a smile.

"You have one, too, Daddy." She wiped her eyes and pointed to another box.

"There's two," he said. "This one, and one for both of us." He tore off the paper and opening his box, and he laughed. "I'm...really, I...look at this," he said, showing her the pocket watch on a chain. Engraved with his name and hers, and the planned date of their wedding. "This is amazing."

She kissed him and rested her head on his shoulder, and he laughed, shoving a grape into her mouth. Chewing, she said, "What's in the big one?"

He reached for it, tearing off the paper, and he laughed. "We needed this," he said.

"Can we take it to work? Please?" she asked, serious.

He looked at the side of the box. "It's one of those ones that makes it one cup at time, so you can brew your vanilla, mocha, caramel shit, and I can have my plain, old coffee."

She laughed. "Nice," she said, nodding. She bit into another bit of cheese with a cracker, then her eyes narrowed. She swallowed. "Mess in the bedroom?"

He stopped moving, as if he, too, just realized what their card had said. "Shit," he spat. He got up, pulled her hand, and tugged her as he ran into the master suite. He flicked on the light, and he gasped. "Damn," he whispered.

Olivia's eyes swept over the rose petals, scattered on the floor and over the bed, in several shades of red and pink and white. "El, it's so..."

"Perfect," he finished. "Look." He pointed to the stereo on his dresser, and the note stuck to it said, "Push play." He hit the button and a beautiful song began to play. "Bon Jovi," he said, looking back at Olivia.

"Bed of Roses," she said, shaking her head. She walked over to him and said, "Our kids have some dirty minds."

He laughed. "Oh, now you think they're our kids?" He kissed her and brushed a hand over her back. "Nine years," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "It doesn't seem like that long, but I can't remember my life without you in it."

She smiled softly at him, her eyes looked into his, and she said, "I didn't have a life until you." She kissed him, and she let out a small squeal into his mouth as he lifted her up and laid her on the bed.

He laughed as he flattened out over her, dragging his hands over her body and peeling off her clothes. He traced the curves of her body with his lips, making his kisses light in spots and hard in others.

She wriggled underneath him, softly moaning. She helped him get rid of his clothes and pulled him back toward her, looping her arms around her neck. She blinked once, and kissed him, feeling him enter her slowly.

He moaned her name as he buried himself inside of her, and he pulled out slowly, kissing her, keeping her quiet.

She let him control things, the way he loved to, and she noticed that as the music swelled, so did his touch. When the beat kicked in he was more powerful, when the melody lilted he was soft and gentle. She gripped his shoulder blades, her head sunk into the pillow, and she felt like she was dying.

He dropped his head to her neck, moans and grunts escaping, and he moved faster and harder, then slower and softer. He was prolonging the inevitable, making it last as long as he could, and knowing he was driving her mildly insane. "Liv," he moaned. "Liv, baby," he breathed, it was a question.

"Yes, El," she moaned. "God, yes, baby, right there," she panted, dragging her nails up his back.

He kissed her and thrust hard, and he felt her close around him tightly, pulsate, and vibrate. He knew she was cumming and he loved it. He pulled out and pushed back, shooting into her, mumbling her name against her lips. He stopped moving, and he feathered his lips over hers, and kissed her closed eyelids as they both struggled to breathe.

She moved her elbow a bit and he flipped them over, sighing as he stroked her hair. She blinked, a grin spread across her face, and she said, "I love Bon Jovi."

He laughed, a real, hearty laugh, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "So do I, baby."

* * *

A loud noise woke Elliot, he shot up forgetting Olivia was asleep on top of him, and he looked at the clock as she moaned her disapproval. "Sorry, honey," he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

"It's three in the morning, who the fuck could it possibly be?" she asked, getting up and grabbing her robe.

He ran a hand down his face as he pulled on a pair of sweats from the floor, and shrugged. "Bout to find out," he mumbled, pissed off.

She followed him into the living room, and over to the door, where the knocking and doorbell ringing continued. "All right!" he yelled. He yanked the door open and he looked confused. "Ryan?"

"She broke into my house!" Ryan said, shaking his head. "Seriously, this is some kind of Fatal Attraction shit. I am so thankful I don't have a pet bunny."

"Calm down," Elliot said, bringing his friend into the house. "What happened?"

Ryan wrung his hands together and said, "I was in bed, ya know, cause it was two in the morning, and I heard this crash."

"Sounds familiar," Olivia quipped.

Ryan looked at her. "Sorry, Liv, but I didn't know where else to go! I got out of bed and she was...she was in my kitchen. She wanted to make me breakfast! I kicked her out and came here."

Elliot scratched his head. "Look, I know Gaffney is pretty..."

"Kelley?" Ryan interrupted. "Elliot, I'm talking about Casey."

**A/N What? Oh, my! How will they settle this? And who has to plan another wedding? Who's heading to divorce court? And what's up with Cragen? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: "When you're married, if you can honestly refer to a woman who is not your wife as your best friend, you've married the wrong woman." ~T.A Hensely**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

"It's open," Casey's voice said, and Olivia opened the door to her office. Casey looked up and smiled. "Hey, Olivia. You got my message."

Olivia started speaking fast. "Yeah, but you broke into his...Casey, do you that he could have...you are damn lucky he came to me and Elliot and didn't call someone who'd arrest you for it!"

Casey scoffed. "He over reacted," she said. "Technically, I still live there, so I didn't break in."

"What were you doing, honey?" Olivia asked, sitting on the edge of Casey's desk. "We talked about this, Case."

"I thought if I went home, acted like nothing changed..." Casey shook her head. "It was silly, I know, but hearing him say...what he said...it just proved that he has no feelings left for me at all."

"That's not true," Olivia said, shaking her head. "A part of him will always love you, but a much bigger part of him will always remember that he wasn't enough for you."

Casey closed her eyes. "I wish he could forget that," she said. "I've really lost him haven't I?" she asked, holding up the papers she'd been reading.

"Are those..." Olivia stopped, then she sighed. "I'm sorry, Casey." She watched Casey shake her head and sign the papers. She closed her eyes, remembering how incredible it felt to watch Elliot do it, realizing a completely new side of it now. "So sorry."

Casey folded the papers and shoved them into an envelope. She signed her name over the seal and handed them to Olivia. "Could you take these to him, please?"

"Sure," Olivia said, taking the envelope. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Casey nodded and offered Olivia an unsure smile. "I'll be fine."

Olivia got off of Casey's desk, slapped the envelope against her thigh, and said, "Call me if you need anything."

Casey nodded again. "I will," she said, and she watched Olivia leave, thankful the door was fully closed before her tears began to fall.

* * *

Olivia walked back into the squad room, slung her jacket over her chair, and looked around. "Where the hell is everyone?"

"Working," Elliot said from his chair. "Where the hell were you?" he said, mocking her tone.

She raised an eyebrow. "Down in the lab," she said. "Ryan found traces of saliva on one of the victim's glove, along with blood and some green stuff he determined to be wasabi powder."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Wasabi...blood and saliva...so she punched the guy? In the mouth, after he ate some kind of sushi..."

"Don't think about sushi," she interrupted. "You'll make yourself sick."

He chuckled and got out of his seat, and he walked over to her. "You know, with this place so empty, we could get away with a lot of..."

"Stabler," Cragen shouted, walking into the room, "Benson!"

They jumped apart and looked toward the door. "Cap?" Olivia gave him a nod.

"You got any leads?" he asked, folding his arms.

Elliot cleared his throat. "O'Halloran found something," he said. "I'm guessing he's running the DNA right now."

Cragen looked at him. "Guessing? Well, while you're playing guessing games with the lab rats, you take your partner into the pit. Huang's here, he wants to talk to the hump you two have in holding."

Olivia folded her arms. "What? We're not even sure if he...

"He's one of the good doctor's former patients," Cragen interrupted. "Go."

Elliot and Olivia looked at each other. "Great," he spat, sighing. "I'll go get him, you start with Huang." He walked out while Olivia headed for one of the interrogation rooms.

"Olivia," George said, extending a hand, staying professional. "I know I should have called you first..."

"Damn right," Olivia said. "We're not even sure if this is our guy, we only have him on a twenty-four hour hold, if you spring him on a psychological..."

"I'm here to prove that he did it," George interrupted.

Olivia blinked, her jaw closed and opened, and then closed again. "Huh?"

George laughed. "The man has a compulsive disorder, but he isn't crazy. He can't control his impulses and he has an intense desire to be in control at all times, but he knows what he's doing. I'm making your case for you."

"Then why did he need a shrink?" Olivia asked.

George smirked. "He was arrested once for attacking a classmate, in high school. Instead of jail, since he was a minor, he was put into a federal psychiatric facility."

Olivia shook her head. "Well, when Elliot gets..."

"Right here," Elliot said, walking toward them with a young man in handcuffs. "All yours, George."

George nodded, took the man out of Elliot's grasp, and walked him toward the door. "How are you, Michael? Do you remember me?"

The man nodded as he walked into the interrogation room. Elliot flicked the switch on the monitor and said, "Ryan stopped me in the hallway."

Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Casey signed the papers," he said. "And the DNA hit from the glove matches this guy. He also told me the DiCarlo case is all but closed, as one of the parents brought in a cheerleading uniform, it had the fucker's DNA all over it."

Olivia nodded. "Good," she said. "That's two slam dunks in one day, that should get Cragen off our asses for a little while."

"Don't bet on it," Elliot said. "Tucker's still digging for something, it's inconveniencing Cragen, and he's blaming us."

"I forgot all about Ed," Olivia said, looking at him. "We should invite him over or something. He's probably going through..."

"I don't think we should bother him," he returned. "He's not in the mood for company right now. Trust me."

She looked back toward the two-way window. "If we have his DNA, why are we still letting Huang talk to him?"

"Gaffney's taking the case, and I want to rub her pointy little nose in the fact that not only is he guilty as sin, he was fully aware of what he was doing. I want the proof."

"You really don't like her," she said with a smirk.

"Uh, the woman tried to play 'yank the snake' with me the last time I was around her," he said. "No, I don't like her. You can't stand her either."

She smirked. "No, but she hasn't bothered either one of us since I got Ryan to take her out, has she?"

He laughed. "My miracle worker," he said, shaking his head. "Oh, speaking of miracles..."

The metal door opened, interrupting him. "I'll have my full report on your desk in about an hour," Huang said, leading the man, still in cuffs, toward Elliot and Olivia. "And I will call Alex. This is her case, right?"

"Should be," Elliot said. "She's our ADA."

Huang tilted his head. "Casey still takes SVU cases, Elliot. I was just making sure..."

"I know, George," Elliot interrupted, taking the perp back through the pit toward the holding cell.

Olivia watched him leave, biting her lip. "God, does he have the best ass, or what?"

"Will you hit me if I agree with you?" Huang asked, smirking.

Olivia laughed, elbowed him, and shook her head. "How's married life treating you?" she asked, walking with the doctor into the bullpen.

"Wonderful," George said, "Really, Olivia, you made that night everything we wanted it to be and more. No wonder John asked you to plan his wedding."

Olivia stopped walking and scrunched up her face. "John who?"

"John," George said, folding his arms. "Munch."

Olivia's eyes widened. "What?"

Munch, hearing them from his desk, said, "I didn't exactly get around to asking her yet, Doc."

Olivia turned, looking at him. "You're back," she said.

"Yeah, the search turned up bupkiss," Munch said. "By the way, I'm getting married."

"I got that, thanks," Olivia said, laughing.

"That was the miracle I was trying to tell you about," Elliot said with a grin. "You were asking me just the other night how long it was gonna take him to ask her."

Munch scoffed. "Oh, it hasn't been that long."

"You been datin' your girl longer than I've been wit' Mel," Fin said, shaking his head. "That's already over three years."

Munch looked at his partner. "When you've been divorced as many times as I have, you don't enter into marriage number five lightly."

Fin tossed a rolled up piece of paper at him. "Shove it," he said, shaking his head.

Munch looked back at Olivia. "So will you?"

"Of course I will," Olivia said, nodding with a smile. "I'm done planning mine, I need an outlet for my aggression."

Elliot chuckled. "You mean besides your very aggressive job, and very aggressive sex-life?"

"Hey, whoa!" Fin cried. "Man, I didn't need to hear that last part."

Elliot and Olivia laughed, but the joviality was short-lived when Cragen came out of his office. He marched over to Elliot, looked him in the eyes, and said, "You wanna tell me why Trevor Langan is leaving me messages about the DiCarlo case?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Because it's his firm's case?" he spat. "I hate the guy, I only deal with him because he's married to my fiancée's.."

"Partner's," Cragen said.

Elliot bared his teeth like an angry puppy. "He's married to Liv's best friend."

"You're my best friend," Olivia interjected.

"Smart ass," Elliot spat over his shoulder at her with a smirk. "Best girl friend."

"Whoever the hell he is, he's leaving messages about a paternity case, and adoption, and telling me Henshall is taking the case not him, I don't know what the hell is going on!" Cragen yelled.

"There was a file on your desk," Olivia said. "You didn't..."

Cragen turned toward her. "I'm not talking to you, Benson, am I?"

Elliot poked his tongue with his cheek, smug and ready, and he said, "There was a file on your desk. You didn't read it, did you? Told you all about one of the girls in the DiCarlo case being pregnant, she sighed an adoption agreement before DiCarlo found out."

"And now he's suing for custody of an unborn child he knew nothing about," Cragen surmised as he headed for his office. "Damn it, I gotta call Alex."

"Alex isn't taking that case!" Olivia yelled after him.

"Why the hell not?" Cragen asked, fuming.

Olivia folded her arms. "Conflict of interest," she said.

"What the hell does that mean? What conflict?" Cragen asked, stepping slowly back out.

Elliot looked at Cragen. "Alex and Trevor are the couple who are adopting that baby."

Cragen paled. "Oh, great. Tucker's gonna love this one." He ran his hand down his face and walked into his office, hoping he could somehow make Tucker look the other way about Olivia and Elliot, now that a real problem had come up.

**A/N: Why is it such a big problem? Why is IAB involved? And a night alone for Olivia and Elliot! Also, who is Munch's mystery girl? Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: "Marriage is not the end result. It is simply another stop on the journey, with the ultimate end result being an eternity of nothing but pure, unadulterated love."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story belongs to TStabler©**

Olivia was in the conference room, nibbling on a celery stick. She was sipping water, and shifting in her seat as a man in a suit spoke about new regulations and policy changes.

"Quit it," Elliot said.

"I have to pee," she said back, "So I can't..."

"Not the fidgeting," he interrupted. "Stop eating like a rabbit and spending hours in the gym. I'm pretty sure you can fit into the dress now. You've definitely lost weight."

She scoffed. "You didn't see the dress, El. I need to..."

"Honey, you're scaring me," he interrupted again. "I need you to eat a burger, or at least a piece of some kind of meat. You look amazing, but you're perfect now. You were perfect before."

She looked at him and saw the love in his eyes. "Thanks, El," she said softly.

He smiled at her and glanced at Tucker, nervous and jittery. "Have you heard anything he's said?"

"Yeah," she said. "He said that we have to read perps their rights louder, since several humps from the Two-Nine lost confessions after the bastards claimed they couldn't hear them. Oh, and he said we have to tell the homeowner or tenant that we're armed when we're entering a private residence." She bit into her celery stick, and then she said, "We're paying for other precincts' mistakes."

He scoffed. "Maybe asking him to dinner wouldn't be such a bad..."

"El," she said, sitting up. "He's talking about us."

"What?" He, too, sat up straighter and paid attention as Tucker announce a change that would only affect their unit. Monthly psychological..."

"Shit," Olivia spat, slumping in her seat. "This is fucking terrific."

Elliot looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and said, "You know you're gonna lie anyway, so why are you..."

"I hate being forced to see Huang," she said, stopping him. "Remember after those kids...that cult...I thought for sure he was gonna get me fired, El. I broke down, I couldn't..."

"That's what saved your job," he interjected, assuring her. "I got sent home because I lied and said it didn't bother me, and then I said I wanted to kill the fucker. You're gonna be fine, baby."

She smiled at him, thanking him for calming her down, and then Tucker told everyone they could go. "Benson," he yelled, stopping her. "Stabler, uh, can you two come here, please?"

Elliot looked at her, and he raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," he sighed, stepping over chairs and dodging the other officers. He led Olivia through the moving crowd, and they stood in front of Tucker. "What's up?" he asked, folding his arms.

Tucker sighed. "Cragen called. He filed a formal request for a new ADA. I didn't wanna make the call unless you two..."

"Alex is personally involved with a case, but it's one she isn't taking. Casey is handling it, she's our child advocacy..."

"So there's no reason I should have Jack McCoy pull Cabot from your roster," he said, suspicious. "None at all?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "You already know."

"Yeah," Tucker said. "Elliot, she played to your sympathy. She used your friendship as a pulley to get you to compromise a case! You never should have asked the victim if..."

"We didn't," Elliot said. "They asked, we re-interviewed her, but then we...we couldn't ask her about the baby, she was too upset."

Tucker furrowed his brow. "Then who talked to her?"

Elliot shrugged. "The only other person who knew she was pregnant before we filed the report was..."

"Gaffney," Olivia said, stunned.

Elliot looked at her. "That's why she dropped the case. She was planning on helping Alex and Trevor file for..."

"Damn," Tucker said, shaking his head. "All right. Thanks. Oh, commendable work on the DiCarlo case. You two pulled out all the stops on that one."

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, no judge is going to give a convicted rapist a child."

Tucker laughed. "Well, you two should get back to work, I have to call a few people and pull a few things off of the internal affairs' to-do list."

Olivia glanced at Elliot. "Ed," she called after him.

Tucker turned around. "Olivia?" he queried, wondering what she wanted.

"We'd like to know if...do you wanna come to dinner with us Friday night?" she asked.

"Huh," Tucker grunted, poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue. "Yeah. Thanks. It'll be nice to hang out with real...wait, you didn't ask Diane to..."

"No," Elliot said. "I know better than anyone not to ask someone and their ex to dinner together."

Olivia chuckled. "So we'll let you know where and when," she said.

Tucker nodded. "Thanks, guys," he said, giving them a genuine smile. "Oh and, uh, you can tell your captain that you've been cleared. Aside from a few blow-ups and broken rules, I haven't seen anything in your files that suggests any kind of personal interference."

Elliot returned his friendly smile and said, "Thanks, Ed."

"You know I'm not afraid to jam your asses up when I need to," Tucker said with a shrug. "But I don't need to."

They watched Tucker walk out of the room, and they shared a smile. Maybe things in the precinct would be better now, with IAB off of Cragen's ass. They could only hope.

* * *

"Mom sounded weird on the phone," Dickie said, bringing the plates to the table.

Elliot placed down forks and knives as he said, "She sounded fine to me."

"Because you barely talked to her when you were married," Maureen said. "The only person whose feelings I think you would really be able to discern from just hearing her voice is Liv."

He smiled. "I would know if something was wrong with one of you guys, too," he said. "I know my kids."

"Right." Dickie laughed. "We know that, Dad. She just sounded...off. Like she was trying hard not to tell us something."

Kathleen looked up from folding napkins. "Like when you were trying to keep your relationship with Liv a secret."

Elliot made a face. "Smart alec," he teased. "I don't know what she could be hiding, you guys know about that guy, and you know they're in Europe and...wait...when I was trying not to tell you what, exactly?"

Kathleen looked at her father, getting where he was going. "When you asked her to marry you. You couldn't have a real conversation with any of us for a week." She looked at her sisters, then her brother, and then to Olivia. "You don't think Charlie asked..."

"No," Elliot said, scoffing. "They haven't been together long enough."

Olivia looked at Elliot, catching his eyes. "Come here," she said, jerking her head.

Elliot moved, walking toward her, and he smirked. He kissed her softly and wrapped her in his arms.

"Aw, man, we're about to eat," Dickie groaned. "Can you at least go into the living if you're gonna do that?"

"Have it your way," Olivia teased, pulling Elliot into the living room.

He kissed her again, once they were out of view, and he said, "You didn't call me over just to make out with me, did you?"

She chuckled as he came in for another kiss, and she shook her head. "You don't think he's...I mean, she might be hiding the fact that he didn't want her calling?"

"You think so, too?" he asked, absently swaying with her. "He doesn't want her kids around, he doesn't want to talk to me, he took her out of the country to be alone with her. It makes sense," he said. "He doesn't want her calling them. She was nervous and quiet, just in case he was listening."

She dropped her head to his shoulder. "He wants a whole new life, he wants her to forget her past and give everything up for him," she said.

"I'll call her tomorrow," he told her, running his hands lovingly up and down her back as they began to move in a slow circle.

She sighed then, and her eyes slid shut. "We're dancing."

He dropped his head to hers, and he hummed a soft response.

"No music," she murmured, and she felt him squeeze her tighter.

"Don't need it," he said, still swaying her, but obviously almost falling asleep.

The kids watched them from the doorway, grinning at them. "They're cute," Maureen said.

"That's really sweet," Kathleen agreed.

Lizzie chuckled. "They're so in love."

"They're so disgusting," Dickie said, rolling his eyes. "Is dinner ready, or what?"

Before anyone could answer, the doorbell rang. It snapped Olivia and Elliot out of their loving moment, and they looked at each other. Elliot shrugged, and he moved toward the door. He grabbed the knob, opened it, and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Munch."

Munch smiled and said, "I thought I'd drop by, bring the future wife, talk to Benson about the wedding."

Olivia walked over to the door. "Munch, Lena," she said, "Come on in."

The couple walked in, and Elliot yelled into the kitchen, "Set two more places!" He stepped up to Olivia and whispered in her ear, "Great. Dinner with Petrovski, and we're on-call after eleven. Tonight officially blows."

Olivia chuckled, kissed him, and said, "But tomorrow night is gonna blow your mind." She winked, then walked into the kitchen, leaving Elliot to wonder what that meant, and smirk at the possibilities.

**A/N: What does Olivia plan? It's a sweet, emotional conversation, and a romantic, sexy night. Also, what's up with Kathy? And has Cragen loosened up? Review here, or on twitter! TMG212**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: "Love does not end when a relationship fails. It simply changes form and shape, becoming a different kind of love. It will always exist, no matter what."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

Olivia hummed happily as she walked into the house, and Elliot watched her with a curious smile as she hung up her jacket. He moved to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his body. "You have been in an amazing mood all day," he said, kissing the spot behind her ear.

"I'm happy," she said, turning her head over her shoulder a bit as she slipped out of her shoes.

Elliot laughed as she shrunk three inches in his arms, and he bent his head to kiss her neck. "How happy?" he asked, his voice suggestive.

She chuckled. "Well, you're gonna find out, huh?" she teased. "El, nothing could get to me right now. We had a problem-free day at work, dinner with Ed was surprisingly wonderful, and I got to go home with the most gorgeous man in the entire NYPD."

"You had your last fitting today," he said, his eyes narrowing. "You fit into the dress. That's what this is. That's why you actually ate during dinner."

Olivia laughed and nodded. "It's got a little give, too, so I can actually eat like a normal person again."

He shook his head and grinned, kissing her. "You are too much," he said. "Way too much."

She kissed his lips and pulled out of his arms. "Did you, uh, did you call Kathy?" she asked, walking toward the kitchen.

Rolling his eyes, he followed her. "Yeah, I did. She called me Doctor Scott, can you believe that?"

"Guess he was there, and she didn't want him to know it was you that called," Olivia said, opening the fridge to put their leftovers away. She grabbed a glass bottle and closed the large metal door.

"Yeah, she was talking in some kind of secret code, but that's the message I got," he said with a sigh. "That son of a bitch is controlling her and she knows it, she's gonna break up with him with they come home. She'd do it now, but then he'd leave her in Paris and she said she doesn't want us to spend the money to fly her ass home."

"That's not the reason," Olivia said, smirking as she popped the cork on a bottle of merlot.

"What?" he asked, reaching into a cabinet for two wide-mouth glasses.

She looked at him as she took the stemware, and poured the wine as she said, "She's a single woman, El. She's milking this for all it's worth. No kids, no responsibility, just her and a hunk on European beaches. Nude European beaches."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "He is not a hunk," he said, grabbing a glass and sipping it.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, not compared to you," she said, "But this is Kathy. Your ex-wife. You ruined her for other men, and she's gonna take what she can get."

"That's more like it," he said, clinking his goblet against hers. "What's with the wine?"

She shot him a smoky look and said nothing as she walked passed him sipping her wine, and headed for the couch.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked to himself, following her. "Honey, what are you up to?"

She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, which was set to a digital music channel. "Nothing," she said, in a tone that definitely meant she was up to something.

He put his glass down on the table and sat beside her, pulling her into his lap. "What is all this, huh?" he asked softly, his lips grazing over her neck.

She moaned lightly and said, "We had to spend what could have been a romantic dinner with a man who, on more than one occasion, has called me mean names and threatened to have me fired. It could have been just the two of us tonight, but it wasn't, so I'm making up for it." She looked over at him and sipped her wine. "We promised each other that we wouldn't let things stop us from taking care of each other, El. You and me, one night a week, we have an actual date and we talk. Date kind of had an unenthusiastic tag along this week."

"I don't need to talk," he said with a narrow-eyed look. "I have nothing to say to you other than you are the most amazing woman in the universe," he told her with his teeth lightly nipping at her ear lobe. "I dare you to find someone who can argue with me on that."

She tilted her head and moaned a bit louder. "You know I never turn down a dare, El." She tilted her head the other way, snuggling into him, and she whispered. "I do have something to say to you, though."

He hummed, acknowledging that he was listening. He pressed his lips to the back of her neck and felt her shiver.

"You ruined me, too," she whispered, almost regretfully.

His head popped up. "Huh?"

"For other men," she said, craning her neck back and looking up at him. "Next month, when you put that ring on my finger, you better damn well never even talk to another woman, because I'm not Kathy, El. I'll fucking kill you."

He laughed. "No worries, there, baby."

"I mean it!" she said, her tone serious. "I know I haven't looked at another guy since...I mean, I don't even think Tom Cruise is hot anymore, and I was obsessed with him for years. I can't make a decision without thinking, 'what would Elliot do? What would Elliot say about this?' You have me thinking like a married woman already. Hell, I thought that way before anything had ever even happened between us." She kissed him sweetly and said, "If I ever lose you, which would kill me in itself, it would be tragic. I'd never be able to fall in love again, El. I'd always be in love with you. You've got me, and no one else is ever gonna stand a chance."

He pressed his lips to hers and he whispered, "You don't think you did the same damned thing to me? Liv, no one else…ever…there's just no way. This is already forever, the rings are just symbolic, a piece of metal that will let the rest of the world know, with just one look, that our hearts aren't ours anymore. Mine will always be yours, yours will always be mine."

"Damn right," she said with a nod, and then she smiled at him. "I'm glad it's not just me, then."

He kissed the end of her nose. "Liv," he said, "It'll never be just you again."

She laughed warmly as they kissed and upon pulling away the wine went to her lips. He grabbed his own glass and held it out to her. "To love," he whispered.

"And marriage," she said with a clink. They sipped together and shared a laugh. "It's really gonna be like this for the rest of our lives, isn't it?"

He made a face as he sipped his wine again, his fingers slipping through her hair. He moved to put his glass down, and said, "I can't believe it either, I keep feeling like I'm gonna wake up one day and Kathy'll be in the bedroom yelling at me and you…"

"Stop thinking that," she interrupted, softly brushing her lips against his. "It's never gonna happen, El. I'm always going to wake up with you."

"I know you are," he said, kissing her forehead. He pulled back and caught her eyes, then leaned toward her, this time capturing her lips. He deepened the kiss, moaned softly as his hands cupped her face, and pulled her up higher on his body.

She turned, dropping the glass gently to the table and wrapped her arms around him. She felt his hands crawling up to her neck, and she moaned lightly when she felt him pull on the zipper of her dress. She shifted her weight, letting him pull the material off of her, and she wrapped her legs around him, straddling him. "Kids," she mumbled.

"In bed," he said. "It's almost midnight, Liv."

She held on tight as he moved, flipping her to the side and laying her down on the couch.

He kissed her with everything he had as he tried to get out of his clothes with as little separation between them as possible. He kicked out of his pants as she helped him lose his shirt and he pressed into her as soon as he was free from the constraints of the cotton.

She moaned underneath him, anxious for him to touch her, love her, and she shifted and bucked her hips, telling him she wanted him.

His hands slid to her waist and he grabbed the silk of her panties. He slid the soft material over her hips and he chuckled into their kiss as she lifted her legs to help him get them off of her completely.

She closed her eyes as his hands moved over her skin, she felt her body burn with aching need for his touch and she moaned when his fingertips licked at her skin, making her feel alive. She always felt so alive, so present, when he was with her.

He felt it, too, as every touch of her sent shivers down his spine and made his hear pound. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced, being with her, every time something new would surprise him. He dropped his lips to hers again and hooked his hands behind her knees, spreading her open a bit and pushing up as he thrust slowly into her.

He moaned at the tightness, both of her body and their space. It had been a while since they made love on the couch, with the kids in the house they had been more careful of where they acted on their urges. This was different, though. More than just an insistent need, it was a desire impossible to ignore.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders, squeezing his flesh with her hands as he moved further into her. She bucked her hips as well, taking him all in, forcing him to claim her fully. He grunted and his head dropped to her shoulder, she felt him place a soft kiss to her skin, she moaned his name, and they began to move together.

Nothing mattered but them at the moment, they would deal with a friend's wedding, another friend's divorce, a crush coming to light, an offer of infidelity, and the other surprises awaiting them later. It could all wait. But, as is the way, they couldn't wait too long.

**A/N: Someone's divorce is finalized, Liv gets to plan another wedding, and someone reveals a crush while someone else makes a bold move on a married (or almost?) woman. All coming up! Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: "Marriage is what happens when you finally get the courage to make yourself happy with someone just as messed up as you." ~ Erica Goering**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU ad characters. TStabler**** owns this story, typed on her new, pretty, pink laptop **

Olivia looked at her watch, then at the door, then back at her watch. "This is taking too fucking long," she mumbled.

"You got somewhere to be, Benson?" her partner asked, raising his eyebrow.

"You can only call me that for another month," she said, sipping the coffee he'd given her ten minutes ago.

He smirked. "Three weeks and four days," he told her with a wink. "And this isn't the longest we've ever waited for this. Why are you in such a rush?"

She sipped her coffee again and said, "I'm meeting with Lena and the caterer."

"Tasting?" he asked. "I loved going to those. You think we can pretend we're planning our wedding again for the free food and cake?"

She laughed. "You are more than welcome to come," she said. "I think she thinks you're coming anyway."

He nodded, bringing his own coffee cup to his lips. "Good then," he said with a chuckle. "Oh, uh, Ryan sent me a text. He got the paperwork this morning, he's officially a divorcee."

"Poor guy," she said, shaking her head. "But he's got a good thing going with Gaffney. That's a plus for him."

Elliot chuckled and nodded. "For me, too," he said. "A definite plus that I don't have to deal with her grabbing my junk or trying to shove her tongue down my throat." He gave a shudder and an audible frightened noise.

She laughed and flicked something off of his shoulder. "You are covered in glitter," she said.

"Lizzie's art project," he said, rolling his eyes. "Glitter is the herpes of craft supplies. It pops up out of nowhere, all over the place; you can't get rid of it."

She laughed and said, "Rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab. Clearly, you are not familiar with the world of body glitter."

"And I need to know how you are," he said, raising an eyebrow.

She smirked. "Advantages of a misspent youth," she said.

"How 'misspent' are we talking?" he asked, leaning over to her.

"Clubs, parties," she said, moving her head from side to side. "Standard four-year college away from an overbearing mother type stuff."

He grinned. "I hate that I wasn't there," he said. He reached out a hand and brushed her hair back. "I missed so much of your life, and mine, by doing what I did."

"El, we didn't even know each other," she said. "You were a Marine and a father, those are both something to be proud of, very proud."

He kissed her temple. "I know, but part of me regrets not having the frat-boy, college football team, throw your cap in the air experience."

She laughed and said, "It wasn't that amazing." She finished her coffee as the nurse came over to her, handing her a box filled with individual specimens in separate white paper bags and some small boxes. "Thanks, Noelle."

The young nurse smiled and said, "I don't think we got anything viable. She said the only fluids we'd find were from her boyfriend, she told us she had sex with him about thirty minutes before she was raped. Looks like it was a clean attack. Sorry."

Elliot sighed. "Not your fault," he said, tossing his cup into the bin beside him. "And probably not true. We'll look over her statement." He stood, taking the box from Olivia. "Thanks," he said to the nurse, then walked down the hall with Olivia at his side.

* * *

They got the kit back to the lab, still feeling weird about not seeing Melinda there, and then headed up to their squad room. Olivia sat at her desk, hoping to run background checks on the two suspects they had. However, when she typed in her password and looked at her screen, she was met with a very confusing message.

"El," she said, looking at her partner. "Did you, uh, forget to close out a document?"

Elliot shook his head. "Even if I did, why would I have used your computer?"

"Just come here!" she snapped, pointing at her screen. "This isn't from you?"

He walked over, looked at her screen, and hurriedly tapped the keys and clicked the mouse. "No!" he said. "Not at all!" He looked at her. "Not that I wouldn't, I just…no that was not from me! I wouldn't leave something like that up, out in the open! Are you crazy?"

She shrugged. "Well who else would suggest that…"

"Liv," he said, scrolling down to the end of the document. "This is a proposition. Seriously." He made it to the end and turned to her. "This is from Trevor."

Olivia's eyes widened, she pushed Elliot out of the way, and she grabbed the monitor, her eyes searching the screen. "Oh, my God, is he really offering…"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "He is. He really…he's not entirely over you."

"Obviously," she said, shaking her head. "El, you have to know I would never…"

"You don't have to say anything," he said over his shoulder, as he emailed a copy of the typed memo to himself before deleting it. "You're wearing my ring, you're mine, I get that. I'm not worried." He stood up straight and said, "It's him I can't believe right now."

She looked at him. "You're not gonna do anything about this, are you? Just pretend this didn't happen, El, I…"

"He just flat out asked if you would spend the night with him," Elliot interrupted. "He detailed what he wants to do with you, it made me sick and very worried about his mental health. Hell yeah, I'm doing something about this."

She bit her lip. "Alex," she muttered. "El, I can't…"

"She should know," he said, looking at her gravely. "Her husband is offering to spend a night with you…offering to show you, and I quote, 'a night filled with what you and I are both missing' as if he's trying to fill some kind of void with you." He shook his head. "Alex has a right to know."

She sighed and nodded. "I'll tell her," she said. "She'll punch you."

He smirked. "I wanted you to go anyway," he said. "I'm going to see Trevor."

Cragen walked over, folded his arms, and said, "Before you go talk to the lawyers, you might want to go see the ME." He handed them a faxed form. "Something in the kit you might wanna see."

Olivia took the paper and read it over, then she looked up at Elliot with wide eyes. "This can't be right."

"Lab reports don't lie," Cragen said. "Go down there and talk to the doc."

Elliot looked at the captain, then nodded. He walked, with Olivia right behind him, down to the lab. "This can't be…I mean, really?" he asked, looking back at her on the stairs.

"The kit…yeah," she said, stunned. "She's five months pregnant, and the DNA…"

"So was this date rape?" he asked, confused. "Did the guy turn on her? Was this a jealousy thing? Did she…she sleep with him and regret it?"

"We're gonna have to ask her," she said, "And tell her we know she's hiding something. She's protecting her attacker, who is also the father of her child."

Elliot pushed the door open, holding it for her, and sighed as he came to the conclusion that it would be a long night.

* * *

"I can't feel my feet," she mumbled, kicking off her shoes.

He yawned as he closed the door behind him. "Don't wear heels then," he garbled at her.

"You two look like hell," Maureen said, standing in the foyer with a glass of water.

"Thank you, sweetie," Olivia said, running her hand down her face. "Alex looks worse, trust me."

Elliot looked at her. "You're lucky I didn't bust Trevor's face in half." He shook his head. "Why was this stupid tasting at the courthouse anyway?"

"Lena's a judge," Olivia said, raising an eyebrow. "You went looking for him, El. Don't even try to tell me you didn't."

He smirked at her, guilty. "Yeah, well, I had to tell him a thing or two. I'm sorry, I didn't know Alex was there when I started yelling, but I…"

"Okay," Maureen said, "What happened?"

Olivia shook her head. "Work," she said, leaving it at that. She walked over and kissed Maureen's forehead. "Up to bed, honey."

"Night, Mom," she said. "Goodnight, Daddy." She walked up the stairs, wondering what the problem really was.

Olivia turned to Elliot then and said, "I can't believe she…she actually got mad at us. Not him."

"She said she understood," he said. "How do you understand your husband…"

"She thinks he did it to feel like a man," Olivia interrupted. "Because his masculinity is being questioned in other areas."

Elliot narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "He can't have kids, so he wants to prove his manhood by bedding down with you?"

"The one woman he's never had, but always wanted," she shrugged. "His words, not mine. You read that…"

"I would like to forget I read it, thanks," he said, cutting her off and pulling her into his arms. "You just had to pull me back, huh?"

She chuckled. "You would have really hurt him," she said, shaking her head. "You went flying into one of your fits of rage when you saw him, and you were gonna…"

"You stopped me," he said, kissing her forehead. "Because you love me, right?"

She pretended to think about it. "Or because I didn't want you getting arrested three weeks and four days before our wedding," she said with a smirk.

"Funny," he said, chuckling.

"I'm serious," she said flatly. "I didn't starve myself to fit into the damn dress so you could get yourself locked up. I'm wearing that thing in front of two hundred of our closest friends and random strangers if it kills me."

He smiled and kissed her lips. "I can't wait to see you in it," he whispered. "And out of it."

"Well, you can see what I look like out of it now," she teased, nipping at his lips. "In the world's hottest bath." She pulled out of his arms and walked toward the bathroom.

He laughed and followed her, saying, "I told you, baby. No more heels." He smirked, taking off his tie, hearing the water in the bathtub running. The day from hell was shaping up to be a heavenly night.

**A/N: How hot does their bath get? Alex talks to Olivia, and Elliot reveals what Trevor's letter said. Melinda and Fin have a fight, and Lena gets on Olivia's nerves. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: "The difference between love and marriage is love can survive without marriage, but without love marriage dies." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Leaning against Elliot's naked body, the hot water licking at her skin, she sighed. Her eyes closed. She lolled her head to the side and let out a soft moan, feeling his hands slide down her arms and across her stomach. "So nice," she murmured.

He kissed the crown of her head. "Very nice," he said softly. His hands skimmed over her toned body, fingertips slipping lower, and he asked, "How relaxed are you right now?"

She smirked, her eyes still closed. "Half asleep," she mumbled.

He dropped a kiss to the side of her face, sliding his hands between her legs, spreading them apart. "Just relax, baby," he whispered, dragging a long finger up her folds.

"Hmm, El," she moaned, her head dipping back further into his chest.

He held her open with his left hand, stroked her to wetness with his right, slow and even swipes of his fingers brought her into a tizzy fast. He felt her body writhing against his; he knew what was going on. He slipped a finger up and into her, and he moaned when she did. "Don't fight it, honey. Just let go."

She gripped his thighs, wrapped tightly around her. She wriggled against him, sliding up and down the hardness of his erection. She felt him stiffen, heard him moan, and felt him push another finger into her. "El," she gasped, her fingers digging into his flesh, and her mouth dropped open. Her eyes squeezed shut. Her head turned.

"God, you're so close," he whispered to her, his breath heavy and fast. He moved his fingers, felt her hips moving against him, causing the friction he so desperately needed. He worked her faster, his thumb swiping over her clit, making her move against him with greater speed. "Yeah, baby," he panted.

She bit her lip, she pressed into him, she rocked against him, and she moaned as her nails broke the skin on his thighs. She pressed her lips together and let out another muffled moan.

"Open your mouth, baby," he said, swiping her clit again. "Let me hear you. Let go."

Her mouth opened slightly, her back arched, and she felt him rubbing against her as she craned her neck back. "El, oh, God, El," she breathed softly, her voice almost breaking into a whine.

He grunted, feeling her clench around her fingers. "Let go, baby," he whispered, his eyes closing as he let go himself, and felt her tremble. "That's it, yes," he breathed, shuddering himself, "Yes."

"God," she said, shaking against him, gripping him. The hot water calmed her, soothed her, relaxing her muscles as Elliot tensed them up, the contradicting feelings sending ripples of pleasure and electricity through her. She sighed, finally dropping limply against him, sinking deep into the water.

"Bet your feet don't hurt now," he said, his breathing still ragged.

She chuckled, kissed him, and said, "Three weeks."

"And three days," he said against her lips, holding her close. "And I can't fucking wait."

* * *

The next morning brought with it the usual drama of their job, the usual tension of cases and vics and perps. They met Fin and Munch at a particularly brutal crime scene, one that required all hand, it seemed.

"Three girls," Fin said. "Raped, beaten, killed. It's pretty gruesome, man."

"You don't look so good," Olivia said, snapping on a latex glove. "It's not really that bad, is it? We've seen worse, I'm sure."

Fin shook his head. "It's not just the case, Baby-Girl. Mel…she's pissed at me again. Says I'm not home enough, that she wants me to cut down on my hours, again, and she wants me to take Saturdays off. I don't what to do."

Elliot grunted. "I think she should change her name to Kathy," he quipped.

Munch looked up, as he led the two into the empty warehouse. "How is Kathy, by the way? Still in Paris?"

"Greece," Olivia said. "A month in Athens, the lucky bitch."

Elliot laughed. "I'll take you to Europe. Eventually. When all of our kids are out of the house, and we're retired, and…"

"El, honey, that won't be Europe, that will be Heaven," Olivia joked, rolling her eyes. They stepped into the dimly lit room, littered with uniformed officers, and they met their captain.

They were filled in on the specifics, and the afternoon carried on, nothing unexpected. What they didn't expect, though, was the cold shoulder they were getting from their ADA.

Olivia was trying, desperately, to communicate with Alex as they scoured the scene. The whole way back to the precinct, she tried to start conversations about suspects and witnesses. They needed to discuss the case, get warrants, draw up forms. "What is your problem, Cabot?" Olivia finally snapped, watching Alex walk away from her as they entered the bullpen.

Alex turned, hot and annoyed, and pointed a manicured finger at the brunette detective. "You! You are my problem! Are you gonna do it?"

"What? Do what?" Olivia asked, folding her arms.

"Trevor! Are you going to sleep with him?" Alex asked. "The offer's on the table, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna stand by and let you…"

"Has the bleach finally fried your brain?" Olivia interrupted, her voice low, appalled. "Alex, I'm getting married. To Elliot. Why would I jeopardize…"

"Because you can!" Alex yelled.

Olivia took another step forward. "Alex," she said, "Elliot Stabler is the only man I have ever wanted and loved the way I…" she shook her head, not wanting to make it emotional. "He is so good, Alex, so fucking perfect. I wouldn't risk everything we have, everything I have with him, for one night with a man I wouldn't even sleep with when I was dating him!"

"You would sleep with any man you could get your grubby, little hands on, Benson!" Alex fumed. "Did you forget how many times you showed up at my door, regretting the nights you spent with men whose names you couldn't remember? Marriage isn't gonna change that. You're always gonna want the thrill of a good fuck."

Olivia scoffed. The look in her eyes was hard and angry. "Alex, I'm gonna try very hard to convince myself that you're lashing out at me because you don't wanna me pissed off at Trevor for this, so I'm gonna say this as calmly as I can." She took another step and said, "Fuck you."

Alex flinched. It was then she knew Olivia was right; she was deflecting, projecting her anger at Olivia. "Olivia, I…"

"I'm putting in a formal request for a new ADA," Olivia interrupted. "You're sacrificing a rape and murder victim, jeopardizing a case, because of personal issues." She narrowed her eyes and said, "Elliot and I don't even do that."

Alex took a breath as she watched Olivia walk away. "What just…"

"You pissed her off," Elliot said, stepping up to the blonde. His arms were folded and the smirk on his face was bordering on hostile. "You don't know what he wanted, Alex. You don't know what he said to her. It wasn't just a…"

"What did he say?" Alex asked, turning toward Elliot with tears in her eyes. "I didn't want to know before, but…I think I have to know."

Elliot sighed. He ran a hand down his face, not wanting to remember. "Alex, he…God, his exact words…he said he wanted to press her down into the mattress…my mattress…he said he wanted to hear her scream his name the way she never would before. He told her he wanted to feel her tighten around him, dig her nails into his back, beg him to make her cum."

Alex tried to stop him. "Okay, stop, Elliot…"

"He said he wanted to look into her eyes as she let go, he wanted to see her world crash and build up because of him, he wanted to see her look at him the way that his wife never does," Elliot continued. "He said he wanted to keep her going, make her cum for him, over and over again, Alex. He said he wasn't gonna stop fucking her until she couldn't move, couldn't even blink. He wanted her to beg for it, beg for him to fuck her, beg for him to make her feel the way…the way I make her feel. Me. Alone." He narrowed his eyes. "She is mine, Alex, and I'm not letting anyone get her away from me."

Alex blinked away tears and shook her head. "He…he said all of that? He said he…didn't see it in my eyes when we…"

"I've got the damn thing saved in my email," he spat. "It made me sick, Alex. The things he wants to do to my wife…"

"Fiancée," Alex said, biting her lip.

"Wife," Elliot said hotly. "In three weeks and three days, she will be my wife, and you are supposed to stand beside her in a beautiful silver dress and watch it happen. You can't tell me you honestly believe everything you said to her. You know that since she's been with me there hasn't been…"

"I didn't even know you two were together!" Alex yelled. "So what the hell am I supposed to say? She'll be faithful to you forever? I don't even know her anymore! I don't…I don't know Trevor anymore. I…I have to go talk to him."

"Alex," Elliot said, stopping her, "Liv hasn't changed. We kept a secret, so what? She's still the same woman you've always known. The woman I've always loved. And you know she wouldn't sleep with Trevor."

Alex sniffled and nodded, then turned to leave. "Tell her I'm sorry," she said over her shoulder. "And that…that I know she wouldn't do anything."

"Tell her yourself," Elliot said, shaking his head. "You have to fix this, Alex. I'm not letting you or your asshat husband ruin the wedding we spent a year planning."

Alex turned. "A year?"

Elliot nodded. "A lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of energy, and a lot of love is going to make this the most perfect day of her life. The most incredible day of mine. Silly cupcakes that my daughter wanted aside, everything is perfect. I want it to stay that way."

Alex met his eyes, saw the devotion, the seriousness, the heat. "It'll be perfect," she said. "I have to talk to Trevor."

Elliot watched her leave, then turned his head. "She's gone."

Olivia stepped out of the shadowy corner, her arms folded. "How did you know I was still down here?"

He turned to her and smiled. "I always know where you are." He sighed and said, "Casey's taking this case, and she's drawing up warrants right now. We got nothing to worry about."

"El," she said, her voice dropping as she looked around, hoping no one would hear her, "I love you."

He smiled at her and his eyes softened. "I love you, too, baby," he said to her, just as softly. "When we get outta here, I'll show you just how much I…"

"Fin's gonna be there," Olivia said, reminding him of their temporary house guest.

Elliot shrugged. "If we can do it with the kids in the house, we can do it with Fin in the house." He bit his lip to keep the urge to kiss her at bay, knowing he had already let too much personal stuff get in his way already. "You have a meeting with Lena, don't you? And her florist?"

Olivia nodded, heading over to her desk. "She is driving me up a wall, she's so fucking picky about every little thing."

"Sounds like someone I know," he laughed, walking over to his own desk.

"Ha, ha," she returned dryly. "She's much worse than me. But I talked to the florist, and I found the perfect way to get even."

"Uh-oh," he muttered, looking at her. "What did you do, Benson?"

She smirked. "I convinced her to have the wedding outdoors, the gazebo by the lake in the park," she said. "I finally found something for that asshole to do with all those fucking lily pads."

Elliot laughed, He shook his head and winked at her just as Casey came in, getting them focused on their case. He was hoping things would go smoothly with such a rough crime, and with Olivia at his side, he could handle it.

After work, though, he'd find out just what married life with her would entail, and he would find out if he could handle that, too. Or not.

**A/N: A night with Fin on the couch? The kids overhear something odd. And Trevor and Elliot have another chat, with a surprise visit from Gaffney. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: "Never keep secrets from the one you plan to marry. It defeats the purpose of getting married." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia closed the door after she and Elliot walked into the house. She looked around, heard nothing, and noticed the stack of books and pens on the table. "Midterms," she scoffed. "Poor things must be worn out."

Elliot kissed her forehead. "Well, Dickie's only passing Spanish because of you, and Maureen's British Literature grade needs to send you a royalty check."

She chuckled. "What can I say? I help my kids with their homework."

"Your kids?" he asked, smiling, leaning into her.

"My kids, I said it," she said softly with a smirk, her nose touching his as her face scrunched up.

He chuckled and whispered, "You're adorable." He kissed her delicately on the lips, and just before they could move to their next phase, a throat cleared. Elliot sighed and dropped his forehead to Olivia's. "Hi, Fin," he mumbled.

Fin scratched his neck. "Look, uh, if this is a problem, I can stay with Munch and…"

"No," Olivia said, pulling away from Elliot. "No problem. The guest bedroom's all set up, you will have your own bathroom. This is fine, I just hope you and Mel can work it…"

"Thanks, Baby-Girl," he interrupted. "We'll be okay. I just want her to cool off before I tell her I'm…I'm cuttin' my hours."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Fin, do you what that's gonna do to your paycheck? And me and Liv?"

Fin shook his head. "Nothin'." He sighed and said, "I'm takin' a full-year salary to make up for it, no vacations. Evens out. And you don't have to cover the shifts, Cragen's hirin' a part-timer to fill in when I can't."

Elliot shot Olivia a look. "All right," Olivia said, taking off her jacket. "Fin, I'll show you up to the guest room, and you can…"

The doorbell rang, interrupting her, and she turned to look at Elliot. "You didn't tell anyone else who's having relationship issues they could stay with us, did you?" she whispered, leaning into him. "Because if I have to keep…"

"No," he said, kissing her to shut her up. "Take Fin upstairs, I'll see who it is."

Olivia nodded and she and Fin walked up the stairs as Elliot strode over to the door. He looked through the peephole and he growled a bit. "Damn it," he muttered. He pulled open the door and said, "I think I've said everything…"

"You told Alex?" Trevor asked, yelling, pushing passed Elliot and stepping into the room. "I thought you told me you wouldn't tell her what…"

"She asked!" Elliot barked back. He cringed, then, and lowered his voice. "Look, yell at me at a lower decibel level, ya schmuck, I've got four sleeping kids upstairs."

Trevor made a face. "I knew there was a reason I never liked you."

"Because I came between you and Liv?" Elliot asked, smirking. "Because I got to her before you, and you couldn't get me outta her head? Because you tried and failed, over and over again, and that's my ring she's got on her finger? Because I'm more of a man than you'll ever be?"

"Because you're an arrogant fuck, Stabler," Trevor hissed. "You just do whatever the hell you want, to whomever you want, and you don't give a rat's ass what happens as a result!"

"Wait a second," Elliot said, folding his arms. "You're mad at me for telling your wife what you wrote in a letter telling my fiancée you wanted to treat her like Jenna Jameson all night? Man, your perception of this entire thing is screwed up."

Trevor shook his head. "No, I know I fucked up, but we were fine! She forgave me, she understood, she thought it was a just a simple question! Then you…you told her everything and then she came home and…"

"She blamed Liv," Elliot said. "She called Liv a slut, Trevor. Told her there was no way marrying me would satisfy…" He stopped and swallowed, controlling his rage. "I wasn't gonna let her just walk out of the squad room feeling any less hurt than what she made Liv feel. I told her every fucking detail, until she couldn't take it. Until she knew what kind of guy you really are, until she realized that you, more than anyone, are to blame here."

Trevor slumped his shoulders, ran a hand down his face, and let out a bitter laugh. "You don't know what it's like for me." He looked up at Elliot. "You will never know what it's like to have the only woman you've fantasized about in years fall in love with someone you despise. You will never know what it's like to want kids more than anything and have the ability ripped away from you because you married a woman with the wrong plumbing." He bit his lip. "You don't know how badly I wanna be somebody's father, Elliot. You don't. You've got the job I always wanted, the girl I always wanted, you've got four kids, and you're gonna have more, right?"

Elliot shifted. "Trevor, I…"

"You have the life, Stabler, that I've been dreaming of since I was five years old and saw an episode of Dragnet on TV." Trevor sat on the arm of the couch and shrugged. "I hate you, with every fiber of my being. I wanted her, I wanted to…I don't know, I wanted to be you for one wonderful night, have her, hold her. I knew she'd say no, but I…I figured I had nothing left to lose."

Elliot dropped his arms to his sides. "You had Alex."

Trevor nodded. "I only went out with Alex because Olivia wanted me to. If she told me to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, I would have. God, I was so in love with her it was insane. You're the same way, right?"

"I'm in love with her," Elliot said, "But not infatuated. Trevor, go find Alex. Stop being pissed at me for being me, and go find your wife. I'm sorry things didn't work out with the baby…but there'll be other options for you, I…"

"Don't." Trevor held up a hand and got up off of the couch. "Don't make me think you're human, Elliot. Don't even let me see that you have a fucking heart, or a conscience. If I think you as the fucking monster I believe you are, we'll both be better off."

Elliot shook his head and re-folded his arms, biting his lips as he saw Olivia coming back down the stairs. "You should go," he said quickly, ushering the distraught man to the door. He pulled it open, dragging Trevor by the arm. Something caught his attention as he looked outside. "Oh, God, Trevor, you're not…you're with Gaffney?"

"She feels bad," Trevor shrugged, gesturing to his car and the redhead sitting in the passenger seat. "It's her fault we lost our shot at getting that baby, and she wants to make up for it."

"By having an affair with you?" Elliot asked, shocked.

Trevor shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "By having a baby with me," he mumbled. "Alex…knows. Kelley doesn't want…she's pretty much just a surrogate. Only…a biological…"

"Please, don't explain," Elliot said, shivering a bit from cold and awkwardness. "Does Ryan know?"

"Oh, uh, she…they're not, um, together," Trevor said, raising both eyebrows. "I thought you knew that."

Elliot scoffed. "No, apparently I've been left out of a lot of things." He looked at Trevor and said, "Good luck. I mean that. You'll need it."

Trevor nodded a bit, then walked toward the car. He got in, and Elliot watched, stunned, as he drove away with Kelley Gaffney, a woman he despised. "Damn," he muttered, closing the door.

"Did I actually hear that?" Olivia asked, folding her arms as she walked toward him.

He sighed and nodded, reaching out and uncrossing her arms. He held her hands as he pulled her close, wrapping his body around hers. "Thank you," he whispered, closing his eyes.

"For what?" she asked, her words muffled by his brawny chest against her face.

He chuckled and loosened his grip a bit. "For being so easy to love, easy to live with," he said with a shrug. "For not being batshit crazy or insanely jealous like every other…"

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Okay, so you get insanely jealous, but only when you have a reason to, like when Gaffney tried to pants me in court, last…"

"Don't bring that up," she said with a glare.

He chuckled and said, "Most of all, thank you for being the most understanding woman in the universe. You're dealing with everyone else's problems, our wedding, and work and the kids, so…"

"Oh, wedding," she interrupted. "Everyone on your father's side is coming, except your uncle Mike, but it's only because he just had open heart surgery and can't fly…"

"Everyone?" he asked, smirking, running his hands down her arms.

Olivia nodded. "They all RSVP'd, El. Twenty-four Stablers and their respective spouses and kids. Fifty-nine people. Your Uncle George even sent us a…"

Elliot cleared his throat. He pulled away from her, pale and furrowing his brow. "My, uh, my uncle George, he said he was…"

"He was the first one to send in the…Elliot, honey, you don't look so good." She led him to the couch and brushed his hair back as he sat down. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, I just…Uncle George, um, he and my mother…there was an issue…a thing."

"El, baby, I need you to talk to me," she said, kissing him softly. "What happened?"

He took a breath and said, "Uncle George isn't the nicest guy, Liv. A long time ago my father told him if he ever came near us again, there would be hell to pay. Honey, how was he even invited? I thought Mom gave you a written list."

"She did, El, he was on it," she said with a shrug. "I don't know how to uninvite someone to a…"

"No," he said with another deep breath. "Maybe this is my mother's way of forgiving him. Maybe this is all already water under the bridge and I'm just harboring my father's passed on feelings of resentment. I don't know."

Olivia tilted her head and kissed him. "You wanna talk about it? You wanna tell me what he did?"

Elliot blinked. "Shit," he said. "Ya know, now I don't even know if it was true or not. My dad was so screwed up and my mom still doesn't know which end is up." He shook his head and said, "Maybe it's nothing, but, uh, my dad had this thing about keeping Uncle George away from my sisters. It started after one of the Christmas parties at my Aunt Anne's place, and …well, that was the last time I saw him. I never found out, not for sure, but…doing what we do, I think he…" he shut his eyes and whispered, "I think he may have…"

"Oh, God, El," Olivia said, lowering herself into his lap and his arms.

He wrapped her up tight, pulling her close, and rested his head on her warm body. "It that's the case, I don't want him near our kids."

"Our kids?" she asked, soft and light, smiling just a bit.

He smiled back, relaxing. "Our kids, I said it," he teased, and his lips touched hers. He let himself fall into her, lose himself in her, loving the way she could calm him and soothe him, and knowing he could live like this for the rest of his life.

In the back of his mind, though, he knew that a phone call to his sister would cause a shift in his world, and only one thing, one person, could shift it back.

**A/N: What does the phone call reveal? Casey gives Olivia a surprise, which leads to more surprises. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: "If someone makes you choose between love and money, think about which will last longer." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia walked out into the living room the next morning, not surprised to see Fin gone and the blanket folded on the couch. She yawned, walking into the kitchen, and found Elliot at the counter, on the phone, tears in his eyes.

She said nothing, simply walked over and wrapped her arms around him. He sighed, pulling her impossibly close, and his eyes closed as he dropped his head to hers. "All right, Mom," he said softly. "I love you, too. Bye."

He looked down at Olivia and he bit his bottom lip. "Talk about earth-shattering," he quipped, blinking away the urge to cry. "So, uh, Uncle George…definitely uninvited."

Olivia scratched his back lightly, looking into his eyes. "El, I'm so…"

"Don't," he said, shaking his head and clearing his throat. "Just stay here for a minute." He wrapped her up tighter and took a deep breath, sighing into her neck. "Stay right here."

"Always," she whispered, feeling her heart break for him, not even sure why. "Your sister…"

"Is fine," Elliot interrupted. "She doesn't even remember any of it, it was once, and my father walked in before anything too horrible happened, but the thought of that man even trying…knowing what I know about what he does, what he is…Liv, do you think I knew? Subconsciously, do you think that's why I became the kind of cop I…"

"Could be," she whispered again, afraid loud tones would disrupt the intimacy of the moment.

"Do you think I became a detective, in this unit, because I felt guilty? I couldn't protect my own sister, so I made a promise to protect everyone else's?" he asked, his voice cracking as he tried to hold in a sob.

She pulled away to look into his eyes. "You were just a kid, El," she said to him, brushing her thumbs under his eyes. "There's no way you could have even…"

"I know that, I just feel so…guilty," he said on a hard exhale of breath. "I should have done something. I should have done what I'm gonna do now." He kissed her forehead, took a sip from his coffee, and pulled away from her.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked, folding her arms.

He headed back toward their bedroom. "Find other victims, arrest him, make him pay for what he did to Jules." His eyes were cold, angry.

Olivia bit her lip. "El, honey, you…" she paused, thinking of something that would distract him enough to lose that evil expression. "You have a tux fitting today."

He laughed bitterly. "Don't worry about it," he said, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Casey sat on the edge of the wooden table, in the conference room, and folded her arms. "Wow, so, this happened when he was how old?"

"He was seven. Julie was five. Five, Casey!" Olivia said, tears in her own eyes. "She doesn't even remember it happening, thank God, but Elliot's taking it so hard. He feels like now he has to run a background and criminal check on his sixty-seven year-old uncle and bring him in for questioning."

"Well," Casey said, trying to smile, "If it'll make him feel better…maybe he should do it. Besides, you know guys like that don't just stop. Maybe he does have other victims out there. Why aren't you helping him? You're his…"

Olivia interrupted her. "He doesn't want me to," she said. "He's already run the man through the system and talked to both of his sisters. He went to go find the asshole, and he took Fin with him." She shook her head and said, "He has been snapping at me since the kids woke up, he hasn't even looked at me since we left the house. He didn't kiss me before we walked in like he always does."

Casey tilted her head, sipped from her paper cup, and asked, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It's a couple of weeks before the wedding, Casey," Olivia said, her eyes tearing. "I can't lose him now. Not because of this."

Casey blinked. She had never seen Olivia so close to tears before, and certainly not because of Elliot. "He's not…you're not losing him, Benson. Far from it." She took a breath and said, "He's nervous, maybe. He's…he's pissed off at Trevor, he's pissed off at Fin and Melinda, and he's pissed off at Ryan. He's got a lot to deal with now, on top of getting married to the one person he's terrified of hurting. He would never hurt you like that, not intentionally."

Olivia rubbed her right eye. "He talked to you about this? When?"

"No, he, uh, he talked to Ryan," Casey said. "He called Ryan about an hour ago. Ryan talked to me, hoping I would talk to you. You're not losing him, Olivia. He just doesn't want you to see him fall apart, I guess. Which is why he's going after this funny uncle without you. He can't let you see him at a weak point."

Olivia shook her head. "I should be the only one who sees him fall apart. That's the problem." She bit her lip and wiped her other eye, taking a deep breath. "I should get back to work. Thanks for the coffee."

"Oh! Wait!" Casey spat, hopping off the table. "I didn't get to tell you what I came here to tell you!" She grabbed Olivia's arm and said, "I think Ryan and I are gonna give us another go. Exclusive this time. No games. And we're gonna start over completely, no more games."

Olivia smiled. "Good," she said. "Maybe this time you'll let him love you, huh?"

Casey chuckled and nodded. "I'm gonna try," she said with a shrug.

Olivia sighed again, tugged on her shirt, and walked out of the conference room, bumping right into Elliot. She looked up at him, stunned. "Hello," she said, attempting a smirk.

"You think you're losing me? Just because I had to do something without you?" he asked, folding his arms. "That's ridiculous."

Her eyes widened and she turned around. She saw the red light blinking on the monitor. "You were listening?" she asked, irritated.

He took a breath and closed his eyes, then he grabbed both of her arms. "Look at me," he said, his tone slightly calmer. "You're not losing me. I was just pissed off, at a lot of things. I was angry and hurt and I didn't…I didn't want you to calm me down. You always do, ya know, and I…I felt like I had the right to be furious for a little while."

She let her hands rest on the inside of his arms as he held her still, and she took another breath. "Are you okay now? Because I can't feel like…"

"After all this time, you're still afraid of me leaving?" he asked, a hint of smirk on his face and a soft light in his eyes. "I'm positive you're not running. Why don't you have the same…"

"It's not my fear of you leaving, El, it's my fear of losing you," she said softly. "The closer we get to the wedding, the more I realize that I haven't fucked this up yet, and I know I'm…"

He kissed her. "Calm down," he whispered, silencing her with another kiss. "You can't tell me that anything about this is making you feel like I'll let you go, even if you do screw up." He heard her chuckle and he kissed her again. "You know I'd stay, we'd work it all out."

"Yeah," she said with a grin. "You're a glutton for punishment," she teased.

"I haven't left you yet, have I?" he asked as his left eyebrow rose. "You've certainly pissed me off and gotten under my skin, more than a few times I might add, and I'm still here. I love you, Liv, I just…my head wasn't where it should have been this morning. I let things fester and maybe I ignored you because of it."

She nodded. "I understand that, trust me." She too another deep breath, finding comfort in it, and she met his eyes again. She let him kiss her again, then pulled away with a nervous look. "Well, anyway, did you find him?"

He bit the inside of his cheek. "Yeah," he said. "But Cragen stopped us before we could take him in. He took me off the case, reamed me out, that's when I decided to find you and apologize for being an ass, and I heard you talking to…"

"Wait, Cragen actually yelled out you for following this through?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "He had to know how important it was to you. It's a valid case, El, you..."

He nodded. "Conflict of interest," he shrugged. "But he has Munch and Fin on it now. The case is open, I'm just not running it." He smirked and said, "We have a sexual assault in a local high school to investigate now. Joy."

She scoffed. "Sarcasm. That's you're defense here?" she rolled her eyes and moved passed him, and she headed back into the squad room. He followed her, and she knew he was right. He did need time to stew, and it didn't mean he was turning away from her. She sat behind her desk, and she looked at him. She calmed him down, he said it himself, and he did the same for her. That's why she was so anxious, she thought. He wasn't there, so her nerves and fears got the better of her.

Elliot took his seat and looked over at her, catching her looking down at the ring she was now wearing proudly. He smiled, knowing that in three weeks he'd be putting another one on that very finger. He raised an eyebrow, then, and turned toward his captain's door. He bit his lip, wondering what kind of trouble he was really in, and how it would affect his job and his relationship.

**A/N: How mad is Cragen? Where is Uncle George? Alex interrupts a private moment between Olivia and Elliot, and Munch gets cold feet. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: "Love, between the right two people, will almost always make the world around them green with envy." **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Alex, tugging on the sash of her dress, said, "Did you know, couples who have one friend who is getting divorced have a forty percent chance of getting divorced themselves?"

Melinda, in the room next to her, scoffed. "Why would you say that now?"

Alex smirked and shrugged. "I'm on the brink of divorce, Casey and Ryan have already called it quits, hell, Elliot's been married and divorced himself. That's six mutual friends who've been, or are getting divorced. That's now two-hundred-and-forty percent. Statistics are not on their side."

"I can hear you, you know!" Olivia yelled from the other side of the door. "Just because you apologized for freaking out on me, Alex, doesn't mean you can..."

"Look, Olivia, all I'm saying is that you and Stabler had better be sure you can do this, prove the researchers wrong." She sighed and tugged on her sash again. "Lord knows Trevor and I aren't going to."

Olivia pushed open the fitting room door. "I thought you two were..."

"He's spending an awful lot of time with Gaffney," Alex snapped. "Instead of doing this in lab...Jesus, he feels like he has to be an actual part of making the damn baby. Prove he can do it, or something."

Maureen, stepping out of the fitting room next to the older women, said, "Why don't you just tell him you don't want him to do it? There are medical procedures...you can try to have one on your own. it's expensive but..."

Olivia held up a hand and shook her head, closing her eyes, telling her soon-to-be-stepdaughter it wasn't worth it. She sighed as her eyes opened and she smiled. "You look beautiful," she whispered, twirling a bit of the blonde girl's hair around her finger.

Maureen chuckled and looped her arms around Olivia. "You just picked a really beautiful dress."

Olivia shrugged. "I wanted something that would look god on everyone, and the color...I mean, how can you go wrong with black and silver?"

Casey, coming out of her fitting room, folded her arms. "Okay, I think I have Kathleen's dress. This is ridiculously short, and tight."

Kathleen, yelling from her fitting room, said, "Yeah! This one is huge on me!"

"Huge? Thanks, Katie," Casey said sarcastically.

Elliot, hiding behind a rack of dresses, smiled as Casey and Kathleen fixed their problem. He loved seeing the kids with Olivia, and the way they all looked in the dresses gave him a sense that this was all real now. Solid.

He backed away before they could see him, and he narrowed his eyes at Alex before he turned toward the door. He was determined to prove that statistics would never matter when it came to him and Olivia.

* * *

He walked back into the suit shop, meeting up with Fin, Ryan, Munch, and his son and brothers. "They're all fine," he said, laughing.

His oldest brother, Kevin, looked at him and shook his head. "Man, you're really showing me up. Two wives before I've even been engaged."

"What can I say," Elliot said smugly, getting his tux off of the hook. "I have a way with the ladies."

Ryan laughed. "Or you knocked up Kathy Malone after Homecoming in high school and were too damned moral to leave her," he said. "You got lucky with Benson, though."

"Oh, fuck yeah, I did," Elliot chuckled. He then looked at his son. "You didn't hear that."

"What? The F-bomb you just dropped?" Dickie asked, buttoning up his shirt.

"Yes," Elliot laughed. "Liv is my life. She's...God, she's everything to me and I..."

Kevin groaned. "Please, don't get all sappy on us."

Greg, his other brother, laughed. "I think it's sweet. It's refreshing to see a Stabler man with a sensitive side. Maybe if you tapped into yours, Kev, you'd have a wife of your own."

"Or a relationship that lasts longer than two days," Elliot chided.

Kevin whistled as he tied his tie. "No thank you. I will leave the marriage and kids to the two of you. I like to be able to leave them in the morning. I am not a commitment guy." He shook his head. "Guess out of the three of us, I got Dad's personality."

Elliot bit his lip. "At least none of us got Uncle George's," he said bitterly.

"You're still on that?" Kevin asked, shaking his head. "Man, you already arrested him and destroyed his life. Revenge has successfully been doled out, can we stop talking about it?"

Fin tugged on his jacket and said, "Actually, the man's got over thirty-three complaints against him."

Greg looked over his shoulder. "What?" he asked.

Fin nodded. "It was more than just a hunch. He's a bona-fide sicko."

Munch cleared his throat and said, "Okay. No more talking about work, or love. How about we talk about how hot I look in this tux?"

Dickie rolled his eyes. "I got you all beat," he said, his father's cocky grin plastered on his face.

Munch scoffed. "Only because you have that adorable teenage boy thing going on," he said. He sighed, then, and said, "All of this is making me rethink things with Lena."

The men looked at him and asked the usual questions. "What?" "Why?" "What are you talking about?"

Munch shook his head. "You and Benson, you two have what it takes to make it. You're built tough, you're already best friends and partners, and your kids love her. Lena's daughters hate me, we've never had a really deep, personal conversation..."

"Munch, man," Fin interrupted. "Do you love her?"

"Yeah," Munch answered. "I do."

Fin slapped his back. "Then you're doin' the right thing. Don't compare yourself to Benson and Stabler, you'll just depress yourself."

Elliot laughed and shook his head, then turned to look into the mirror. He sighed at his reflection, feeling like he was finally getting everything right, and hoping nothing would go wrong.

* * *

Elliot walked into the house, his tux in a garment bag over his arm. He looked around, and neither saw nor heard anything. He shrugged and opened the hall closet, hanging up his suit, and he saw Olivia's white vinyl dress bag. He smirked, reaching for it.

"Don't you dare," her voice threatened behind him.

He laughed and closed his eyes, backing away and closing the door. "Where did you come from?" he asked, turning around. His jaw dropped, his eyes widened, and he made a guttural noise.

She smirked, walking closer to him, her red stiletto's clicking on the hard wood. her fingers toyed with the belt on her short, red, silk robe, low cut and revealing enough skin to prove she was naked underneath. "Did you know," she said with narrow eyes, "That couples who have friends who are getting divorced..."

"Have really stupid friends," he said, his voice scratchy as his mouth had gone dry. He was still staring at her, watching her body move, and his hands reached for her hips. "You...you look...kids?"

She laughed. "Greg and Kevin took them out, remember? That's why Dickie..."

"Went with them," he said dumbly, "Yeah. So, we're alone."

"Totally alone," she whispered, close to his face, her lips brushing against his as they moved.

He gulped, and he said, "What...uh, why are you...I'm not complaining, I just..."

She pressed a finger over his lips. "I am making it very clear that there is no reason for you to ever wanna leave," she said, teasing the tie of her robe with her other hand.

"Oh, honey, you, uh, you did that already," he said, sweating and nervous. "The minute I laid eyes on you." He smirked and rand his hands up under her robe. "Fuck, your body, baby...damn. You have the ability to make me cry by moving the right way, you know that?"

She chuckled and snapped, nipping at his bottom lip. "Don't cry, El," she whispered, her hand running from his face down to cup him through his pants. She traced the bulge, prominent and hard, with one finger, making him whimper. "I want you in..."

Before she could finish the naughty sentence, the doorbell rang. "Are you fucking...go away!" Elliot yelled at the door.

Olivia laughed, her finger moving again, taunting him. "I want you, El, here, now. In me." She looked into his eyes and she watched as they darkened and his pupils dilated.

He nodded, moving and pressing her against the couch. He slid his hands over her bare ass and hips, slipping his fingers through her wet folds. "Holy shit, you're..."

The doorbell rang again. He rolled his eyes and snapped, "Nobody's home."

Olivia laughed and pulled him toward her. "Cragen called, by the way," she said, bucking her body against his hand. "You don't have to go to work tomorrow."

"Figured," he mumbled, groaning. "He say why?"

"Interrogation," she seethed, feeling him push two fingers into her. "God, El, please, just..."

The doorbell rang, once again, and Elliot, now pissed off, ran to the door and threw it open. "What?" he yelled.

Alex, standing there with a duffle bag, shrugged and said, "I had no where else to go. I know you're not happy with me right now, but...I had to leave."

Elliot took a deep breath, looked over his shoulder at Olivia, and whimpered again. "Listen, Alex, I love you, I do. You're more than welcome to stay here, but...could you, uh...we need milk. Milk and eggs...and get a bottle of wine for dinner. I'm cooking, you need a drink..."

Alex nodded, sighing. "I know, I interrupted something," she said with a small smile. "I'll be back in an hour."

Elliot raised an eyebrow.

"Two hours," Alex said with a roll of her eyes. "I have paperwork to do at the office anyway."

"Thank you!" Elliot snapped with a grin, slamming the door. He turned back to Olivia, finding that she'd dropped the robe and was know leaning against the back of the couch in nothing but her red heels. "I am marrying a fucking goddess," he said, running a hand down his face. He strode toward her, unbuckling his belt, and when she moved her hands to help him, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," she said softly, running her fingers up and down his back as he got rid of his clothes. She lifted her legs and pushed his pants down with her heeled feet, moving things along, then she hooked one leg around him and tugged. "Kiss me?" she requested, looking up into his eyes.

He smirked, and his lips met hers as he shifted and found her entrance, thrusting hard. He caught her moan and let one of his own go. "Stay home tomorrow," he mumbled against her lips.

She chuckled and groaned as he moved within her, "Already told him I wasn't coming in." She dropped her head back when he hit a particularly delicious spot inside of her, and she said, "Fuck statistics."

He laughed. "We've beaten the odds that were against us already," he said. And as he kissed her, thrusting deep, he promised himself and their little family that they always would.

A phone call in the morning would try to change that, though.

**A/N: Alex and Trevor had a fight? What about? and who calls in the morning? Uncle George gets what's coming to him, and we meet Julie. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: "Marriage is a binding contract, signed in blood by the heart."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Elliot woke up early, made breakfast, and set up a tray for Olivia as he made sure the kids ate. He kept glaring at Alex, who was eating quietly in the corner chair. "Sleep well?" he asked, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Alex looked up at him and nodded. "You have a very comfortable couch." She swallowed and sighed. "Where's Olivia?"

"In bed," he said, sliding more bacon onto the kids' plates. "I figured she deserved to sleep in, she's been getting up so early to help the kids and make breakfast, we never get to really sleep late."

"She cooks?" Alex asked, stunned.

Elliot laughed as the kids nodded and hummed with their mouths full. "She's a great cook. Though, she only started cooking when she moved in with us here. We cook together all the timenow," he laughed. "Really, she's a natural."

Alex shook her head as she sipped her coffee. "She hates to cook," she said, dumbfounded.

"Hated," he said with a grin. "She didn't see the point in cooking for herself, but once she had a family to feed, she willingly picked up a wooden spoon, bought cookbooks, and had a grand old time nearly burning down the kitchen trying to teach herself how to be Giada DeLaurentis."

Alex shook her, not believing it. "She clean and do the laundry, too?" she asked, chewing.

Elliot raised her eyebrow. "Are you nuts? No, she doesn't. Cooking is one thing, turning her into June Cleaver is another. The kids help, and Sunday mornings after Church we all give the house a thorough…"

"You got her to go to Church?" Alex gasped, dropping her fork.

"She wanted to," he said with a shrug. "Something about wanted to make sure we could have a Catholic ceremony in the church, she did it for me. I doubt she buys into any of it, but she suffers through it for me." He looked at his happily eating kids and added, "For us."

Alex sat back and sighed, shaking her head. "She's a totally different person now."

"No, she's not," Elliot said, glaring at her. "You keep saying that, but it's not true. She is the same woman she always was, she just has a family now, and she is doing what she can to be an amazing wife and mother, Alex. She changed a few things, but you know that would eventually happen when she got married and had kids."

"She hasn't done either of those things yet," Alex said, snapping. "She didn't have kids and..."

"We will," Elliot hissed, cutting her off. "She's an amazing mother to my kids, Alex. She thinks of them as hers. And the wedding is in less than two weeks now, so I'm considering us already married." He moved back to the counter, grabbed the tray, and said, "Ask the kids what they think about her, and you'll find out that maybe you just didn't know her as well as you thought you did."

Alex bit her lip and watched him move into the bedroom, and then she turned to look at the kids, all looking at her like they wanted to kill her. This was not going to be a pleasant breakfast.

* * *

Elliot stepped quietly over to the bed, sitting beside a still sleeping Olivia. He chuckled when he took in her expression, the easy smile that was on her face and the way her left hand was splayed over the part of the bed that would be his chest.

He reached out and brushed her hair back, and he whispered, "I love you."

She took a deep breath, rolling slightly onto her back, and she moaned as her smile grew. "I love you, too," she said, her eyes still closed.

He laughed and bent his head, he kissed her, and he whispered, "Wake up."

She whined a bit, then opened her eyes. "I'm awake," she said. "I feel so good right now," she said with an eye roll. "I really needed that."

"I know you did," he said, kissing her again. He pulled the tray over to her and picked up a fresh berry. He held it up to her mouth and grinned when she bit into it. "Kids are up, dressed, and out there eating breakfast. I think they're heading to school on their own today." He kissed her again as she chewed.

"How's Alex?" she asked, swallowing. She bit the berry again, looking into his eyes.

He moaned a bit and smirked at her, and he said, "She thinks I've forced you to love Jesus and she can't believe you cook now." He kissed her again, dropping the stem to the tray. "Other than that, she's okay."

Olivia shook her head. "Trevor had a lot nerve calling in the middle of the night. You never told me what he said to you."

Elliot rolled his eyes and bit into a piece of bacon. "It's not important," he said.

"You were yelling at him, threatened him, I have never seen you that angry, and that's saying something," she said, looking at him. "What did he say to you?"

"You've never slept with him," he said, a stated question.

"No," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Never, El. You know that."

Elliot nodded. "I know, but he…he was telling me that whenever he and Gaffney…shit, Liv, he told me they were calling each other…"

"Oh, my God," Olivia said, disgusted. "He didn't…"

"Yeah," he interrupted, shuddering. "He told me to make sure Alex knew. I don't know what's gotten into him, baby. He's destroying his life for…"

"For the chance to have a child," Olivia interrupted. "I can see where he's coming from."

He smirked at her and brushed her hair back. "We're working on it," he said, his hand sliding down to caress her cheek. "And we are going to have as many as we're blessed enough to create."

She nuzzled him, chuckling, then said, "I can't wait." She lifted the bitten strip of bacon to her lips and snapped into it, then looked up at him again. "Thank you for this, by the way."

He kissed her and picked up the fork, and he cut a bit of omelet for her. "You are very welcome, my dear." He fed her, smiling, and he took her hand. He ran his thumb over her knuckles and watched her as she pulled the fork from him to feed him in return. He laughed and enjoyed the moment, cherishing their light time together, having a dreaded feeling that it might not last.

* * *

Cuddling on the couch, watching a movie, Olivia and Elliot basked in the silent solace of the empty house. The kids were at school, Alex was at work, and they'd spent the morning and most of the early afternoon naked in bed, taking advantage of their opportunity to be loud and wild.

They rolled out of the bed, hungry, and he pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants as she tugged the matching shirt over her head. They stared at each other for a moment, lust building as they gazed at the half—naked figure of their lover, and they headed into the kitchen to cook up some lunch.

Now, fed and sexually sated, they were watching a gory horror flick and a shared blanket. Elliot kept slipping his hand up under her shirt, toying with her, teasing her, his eyes fixed on the television.

She moaned next to him, dropping her head further to his shoulder and moving her right knee, giving him better access to what he wanted.

He chuckled, sliding his fingers slowly through her slick folds, and just as he turned to pull her down on top of him, the doorbell rang. "You have to be…again?" he asked, annoyed.

"Well," she breathed harshly, "At least we know it isn't Alex this time."

He rolled his eyes, pushing her up and kissing her quickly. He threw off the blanket with a grunt and walked toward the door, and he pulled it open, a scowl on his face. His face lightened when he saw who it was. "Jules," he breathed, pulling his sister into a hug.

"They arrested Uncle George," she said, holding him tight. "Mom called me, she said that he confessed, to everything, he's going away for…"

"Jules, honey, come inside," Elliot said, trying to get her to calm down and get off of the porch.

Julie nodded and followed him into the living room. She looked around as she dropped her purse onto the end table and she said, "Hey, Liv."

"Hi, honey," Olivia said, nodding with a warm smile.

"Come on, Jules, sit down," Elliot prodded, leading her to the easy chair. "You want a drink? Coffee?"

"Beer," Julie said, sighing. "I need a cold beer."

Elliot nodded, then sent Olivia a meaningful look as he walked toward the kitchen. He grabbed three beers and walked back out, handing one to his sister and moving back to Olivia's side. He cuddled toward her and handed her a bottle. "Okay, Jules, breathe. What's…"

"You did this," Julie said to him. "You went after him. Why? Why now? You know they're gonna make me testify if this goes to trial, and I don't remember what, if anything, he did…"

"Jules," Elliot sighed, "Please, I had to do this. Mom put his name on the list, he was coming to the wedding, I couldn't let him near my kids. Not knowing what he almost did to you, what he's done to other people. I should have gone after him long ago. It's my job, kid."

Julie took a long swig of her beer and grimaced. "Thank you," she said, sighing again. "I just came to say thank you, Elliot. And I want you to know that I never blamed you, or Kev or Greg. It wasn't your fault, you know that."

Elliot pulled Olivia closer to him, and he nodded. "I know," he said. "Doesn't mean I don't feel guilty. I should have done something, we all should have…"

"You did," Julie said with a smile.

Elliot smiled back at his sister, then their phone rang. He furrowed his brow and looked at Olivia, who was reaching for the phone. "If that's Trevor again…"

Olivia chuckled and hit the button, answering the cordless phone. "Hello?" She sat up a bit straighter and her eyes widened. "Where are you? Okay, calm down, just…just stay there. Does he know you…look, it's fine, you can pay us back later, Kathy. We're on the way." She ended the call and made sure the shirt she was wearing was pulled all the way down as she got off of the couch.

"Kathy? She has to pay us back for what?" Elliot asked, worried.

"She had to use one of your credit cards that she still had in her wallet," Olivia said. "She bought a plane ticket home, she's at JFK."

Elliot was up now, too, looking concerned. "What did he do to her?" he asked, knowing Kathy wouldn't have run if she didn't have to.

"She wouldn't tell me," Olivia said, heading into the bedroom.

Elliot ran a hand down his face and he looked at his sister. "Wanna come for a ride?"

Julie sighed and shrugged, chugging back her beer. "As long as you drive," she said, standing.

Elliot laughed and kissed her cheek, then ran toward the bedroom to get dressed. He knew something bad was going to happen, he'd had that feeling for days, he was just thankful it didn't happen to him and Olivia, or the kids. It was his job to make sure it never did.

**A/N: What happened to Kathy? They head back to work and deal with Munch's nerves, and time flies so quickly when you're getting married ;) Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: "Marriage does not bind two lovers together; it is simply publicly acknowledging they've already been bound."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia, Elliot, and Julie ran through the gates at the airport, Elliot and Olivia both holding out badges and running. Julie looked around and shrugged, then stopped. "I'm just gonna wait here," she yelled after her brother, who was just a blur to her by now.

By the time Elliot and Olivia reached Kathy, they were both out of breath and panicking. "What happened?" Olivia asked breathlessly, her hands on her knees as she hunched over to catch her breath and calm down.

Elliot had one hand on Olivia's back and the other over his heart, also attempting to calm down. "Kathy, what…"

"He hit me," Kathy interrupted. "I always swore that it would be the last thing any man ever did, even you. No matter how violent you were, I told you if you ever laid a hand on me or the kids…"

Elliot stopped her. "You know I would never have…"

Kathy interrupted him again, holding up a hand. "I know, that's what made you different, Elliot. You controlled your anger, you never took it out on me or the kids."

"I never will," he said, looking at Olivia, who nodded and closed her eyes, understanding him. "Where is he? Did you tell someone he …"

"I'm telling you," Kathy said, folding her arms. "I think Europe is a little out of your jurisdiction, though."

Olivia, finally upright and calmed, said, "When he comes back, you want us to…"

"No," Kathy said, shaking her head. "I just want you to take me home." She looked at her ex-husband and sighed. "The ticket was almost two thousand bucks, because I needed express same-day… I will pay you back, Elliot, I swear, I just…"

"Don't worry about it right now," Elliot said, cutting her off. "You're okay, that's all that matters."

Kathy looked up at him and she smiled. "Thank you," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"We're not married anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you," he said with a soft look. "You got your luggage?"

Kathy shook her head. "I didn't pack. I just took my purse and ran." She grimaced and said, "God, everything is still over there."

"I'll make a phone call," Olivia said. "You'll get your stuff back, and he'll get what he deserves."

Elliot looked at her with a furrowed brow. "Who the hell do you know in London?"

"Same person you know," Olivia returned with a small smirk. She grabbed Elliot's hand and they walked out of the waiting area into the heart of the airport to find Julie and go home.

* * *

The next morning was less than pleasant. Alex was asking Olivia all kinds of personal questions, bitter about her failing relationship. Elliot had made the good choice not to tell Alex about Trevor shouting out Olivia's name when he was with Kelley. It would have only made the questions worse.

Olivia was trying to remain calm, ignoring the questions and chatting idly with her future step-children. She waved off another pointless question and said, "We gotta go," looking at Elliot.

Elliot stood, a slice of toast stuck in his mouth, and he pulled on his suit jacket. "Be good," he said to his kids with his mouth full.

"Yeah," "Bye," "Love you," were the responses. Alex sighed and watched them leave, then headed out herself, knowing she had a choice to make. She needed to talk to Trevor. She stepped outside just in time to see Olivia slamming the car door, and the couple pulling away.

Their ride to the station was spent talking about how they were going to handle Kathy's situation, and if they'd be ready to hear the details of George's interrogation. Elliot parked the car and then sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, looking out the window.

"For what?" she asked, unclipping her seatbelt. "You didn't do…"

"I used to take it all out on you," he interrupted with a shake of his head. "I swore to myself that I would never go home to my kids as pissed off as I was at work, and so I wouldn't, I yelled at you. A lot. I said some fucked up things to you, and…"

"Please," Olivia chuckled, trying to ease his tension, "I said horrible things to you, too. We still get into it at work. It's how we work. I know you don't mean it, you know I have never meant…"

"You're gonna be my wife," he said, turning to her. "I'm making the same promise to you that I made to Kathy. I'm not…I shouldn't yell at you, or come at you like that. I shouldn't have ever done it, not once. I'm sorry."

She held his gaze and said, "At work, El, I know who you are. I know who you become once you're off the clock. I love both men, very much, and you know damn well that I have my moments when I yell and fight you tooth and nail on everything. It's never affected our relationship. Not in a negative way," she said, shrugging.

He smirked, then, and said, "The, uh, angry sex is always pretty fucking good."

She laughed and nodded. "Yeah, it is," she said, "But I was talking about how strong it makes us. If we can survive the brutal fights we get into at work, we can survive anything."

He looked into her eyes for a moment, his ring finger on his left hand twitched, almost in anticipation, and he leaned in slowly to kiss her over the console. "I love you, Benson," he said, grinning at the moniker he used their first year as partners.

"I love you more, Stabler," she said, firmly believing it. She cupped his face, swiped the apples of his cheeks with her thumbs softly, and she kissed him again. Her lips lightly rested on his, her tongue softly grazed the split of him mouth, and the kiss grew into a delicate dance.

He moaned and held her close, but regretfully pulled back after a long minute. "Work," he sighed.

She nodded and opened her door. "Only for another fourteen hours and five minutes," she said, rolling her eyes.

He chuckled, getting out of the car, and he slammed the door behind him. He hit the button on the alarm as they headed, in step, toward the building. They suddenly had more energy, and Elliot felt ready to face the day.

They bounded up the stairs, Elliot gazing appreciatively at Olivia's ass as she walked ahead of him, and he gave it a light tap and a squeeze as they hit the landing on their floor.

"Watch the hands, pal," Olivia teased.

"Oh, they'll be very busy with that body of yours later," he said with a low growl. "And then I will be watching them. Very intently." He winked at her and said, "Have you put on your dress lately?"

Olivia nodded as she walked into the bull pen. "Still fits, thank God." She plopped into her chair. Almost as soon as she did, Munch walked up beside her, a concerned expression on his face. "Yes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What if it rains?" Munch asked, referring to his outdoor wedding.

"I've got tents there, just in case, Munch," Olivia said, smiling at him.

Munch nodded. "Okay, but what if there's a tornado? Tents aren't going to…"

"A tornado? In Midtown?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "I'm supposed be the one getting neurotic. My wedding is a week away, and…" her words stopped. Her eyes popped open, and her mouth feel just slightly agape. "A week and a day, actually. Holy…"

"Benson, I'm talking about my wedding here?" Munch said, snippy. "What if something goes wrong? Ya know, I'm a cop. People hate me. She's a judge, so more people hate her. What if someone shows up and starts shooting at…"

"John!" Cragen yelled, staring at him. "What the hell are you doing to Benson?"

Munch looked at Olivia, who had gone white and couldn't seem to breathe. Elliot was beside her, her hand in his, looking at Munch with daggers in his eyes. "Scarring her for life," he spat.

Olivia shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she said, taking a breath finally. "I just…it all just hit me. We have eight days, El. It's so…"

"What we've been waiting for," he whispered to her, smiling broadly with a glint in his eyes. "It's happening, baby."

She smiled at him, the color returning to her cheeks. "More people hate us than Munch and Petrovsky combined," she said, dropping her head to his shoulder.

He laughed. "I know, Liv," he said, pushing her head up. He looked her in the eyes and said, "Nothing is gonna happen. We've got eighteen uniformed officers who are gonna be surrounding the church and the hall, we're fine. It's all gonna be perfect."

She took another breath and nodded, then looked toward Cragen and cleared her throat. "So what have we got?" she asked.

Cragen smirked. That was Olivia. Never one to be down for long, and always ready for action when she got back up. "Kendall wants you in the lab. Homicide from last night turned out to be more than that. They bumped it over to us."

"Kendall pisses me off," Elliot mumbled, getting to his feet and watching Olivia stand. "Fin, when is your wife coming back?"

Fin laughed and said, "Probably when the little booger is in seventh grade or some shit. Mel's havin' the time of her life bein' a stay-at-home momma, and she's gettin' a kick out of bein' there when I get home in the afternoon."

"Are you saying she might not come back?" Olivia asked, folding her arms.

Fin looked at her. "What would you do?" he asked. "You and Stabler have your first kid, you get to spend every second of your life at home bein' a mom for eight weeks. You think you can give that up to come back here and deal with death and shit?"

Olivia bit her lip and looked at Elliot out of the corner of her eyes. She knew Melinda wouldn't be coming back any time soon. "Not really," she said. "But I love this job. I'd come back when I had to."

Elliot looked at her and he gave her a small smile. He knew what she was thinking, and he couldn't wait, either.

**A/N: Who do they call who has connections in Europe? Trevor and Alex come to an agreement. What happened to Uncle George? And a bachelor/bachelorette party to kill for. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: "In marriage, each partner is to be an encourager rather than a critic, a forgiver rather than a collector of hurts, an enabler rather than a reformer." ****~H. Norman Wright and Gary J. Oliver **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Tstabler © own this story.**

"Will you calm down?" Melinda asked, laughing at Olivia's nervous expression. "Your future stepkids agreed to watch my not-so-easy-to-handle son so we could take you out to say goodbye to your single life in style."

Casey held up her glass and said, "And to celebrate the book finally being thrown at your partner's funny uncle. Five years for every victim, that's...um...that's...a lot of years." She took a swig of her drink.

"I appreciate that," Olivia yelled over the loud music, laughing at Casey's drunken state. "I just don't understand why it had to be here!"

Casey laughed and rested her hand on Olivia's shoulder. "Because this way everyone wins. You get the hot men in here to buy you a thousand drinks, Alex can flirt with them when you turn them down to make that fucker, Trevor, jealous, and Mel and I can enjoy the, uh, entertainment."

Olivia averted her eyes from the gyrating naked man on the stage less than two feet in front of her. "I meant, why this particular strip club. I can see him from here, ya know. It's not exactly comforting!"

Alex, slamming into the booth beside her, said, "Because we know you didn't want to be too far away from him tonight. This place is pulling double duty for you. Just, uh, keep your eyes on this side of the stage. That girl's boobs could knock your eyes out."

Olivia let out a hard laugh. "Oh, trust me, my eyes are staying far away from the stage all together." She lifted the straw of her drink to her lips, catching Elliot's eyes from the other side of the dual-poled surface. She chuckled as he rolled his eyes at her, completely ignoring the woman who was mercilessly trying to get his attention.

Elliot winked at Olivia, sipping his beer, trying to tell her she was the only one on his mind.

Fin slapped him in the shoulder. "Man, I did not pay ninety bucks for you to ignore...uh...honey, what's your name?" he yelled to the naked woman twirling around the pole.

"That's it," the redhead said, bending over in his face. "Honey," she said with a wink.

"You are not gonna sit there and ignore Honey all night," Fin said to Elliot, though his eyes were somewhere else, stuck to Honey. "You're gonna see Benson naked for the rest of your life, you should, uh, take a last look at what you're missin'."

Elliot chuckled. "You know how I feel about strip clubs, man. I think it's great that you found this place, out of respect for me and Liv wanting to be together tonight, but honestly, I've looked at Honey, here, and trust me, Liv looks better naked."

Honey turned her head, almost offended. "Maybe she should get up here and dance, then."

Elliot narrowed his eyes, looking right into the redhead's, not letting them drop anywhere else. "No, thank you," he said. "If she's dancing for me at all, it's alone, not in front of these...people." He sent a glace to Olivia, seeing her engrossed in some type of hysterical conversation.

Honey, curious and not one to be turned down, turned her head, following Elliot's eyes. "The brunette?" She smirked. "You do have good taste, she is...beautiful."

Trevor, half-drunk, slapped Elliot on the shoulder. "Yeah, she is. Ya know, I coulda had that."

Elliot glared at him. "You are only here because you and Alex are trying to work things out. Don't make me hurt you."

Trevor cleared his throat. "Just saying," he said, leaning back. "She's beautiful."

Honey smirked, looking back at Elliot. "So you're the bachelor, tonight? I'm guessing that's the lucky bachelorette."

Elliot sipped his beer, still staring at Olivia, and nodded. "She is," he said, his eyes taking on a dreamy look.

Honey twirled around the pole again, her music ending, and she shot Elliot a warning look, walking off the stage, grabbing a robe, and heading straight for Olivia.

"What's she doing?" Elliot asked, concerned, leaning forward.

Fin shook his head, engrossed in the new girl that had taken Honey's spot, and mumbled, "Don't know, don't care."

Ryan, next to Fin, tilted his head. "Nice tattoo," he said, smirking.

Elliot, though, had his eyes on the stripper talking to Olivia, they seemed to be having a serious chat, and something the woman said made Olivia look at Elliot, there was a bit of fire in her eyes.

"Shit," he said, standing. He chugged the rest of his beer and slammed the bottle down. "I have to go save my marriage now, stupid redheaded..." he stopped, seeing Olivia standing, heading for him.

He met her half way and said, frantic, "Whatever she said, don't buy it. You were watching me, I wasn't even looking..."

She kissed him, shutting him up, then looked around, making sure their friends were watching the strippers. "Come with me," she said, biting her lip. She pulled his hand, leading him to the back of the club, through a curtain Honey had told her about.

"What...uh...did you buy me a lap dance?" he asked, confused.

She pushed him down into the cushy couch, and she smirked. "Buy? No. Not exactly." She looked into his eyes, a forceful look on her face, and she said, "Your little friend out there told me what you wanted."

He cleared his throat. "She's hardly a friend, and I already told you..."

She put a finger over his lips, silencing him, and winked. "We both came here for a reason," she said, standing up straight and turning her back to him. "Didn't we?"

He raised both eyebrows and a smirk slowly spread across his face. He leaned back, nodding. "We did," he said.

"You said you'd rather have me dance for you, though," she said, slowly moving her hips to the low beat of the music from the room beyond the curtain. "Right?"

He ran a hand down his face and cleared his throat, humming affirmatively. His eyes widened when he saw her fingers moving, sliding the zipper of her dress down, still swaying to the music.

She was keeping her eyes on his, letting the material drop. She smirked at the expression on his face, turned and danced over to him. "Living up to your fantasy?"

He nodded slowly, licking his lips. "Is this one of those things where I'm not allowed to touch you?"

"Depends," she said with chuckle, swirling her hips, moving her hands through her hair. "You touch me, I stop dancing." She leaned over him, bent far over and let her hair fall into his face before straightening up and straddling him. "If that's okay with you..."

He kissed her, grunting as his hands wound in her hair. "Fine by me," he whispered, trailing kisses down her neck. "You gave me enough of a show, I want the encore."

She laughed, rolling her hips into him. "How badly do you want it?" she purred, licking up his neck.

He groaned, growled a bit, and slipped his fingers under the back strap of her bra. "How badly do you wanna give it to me?"

She raised an eyebrow, pulled his hands away from her back, and slipped off of his lap. "I'll give you anything you want, on one condition." She toyed with the elastic on her silk panties, smirking. "Dance for me," she said, raising an eyebrow.

He laughed and shook his head, getting off of the couch. He tugged on his collar buttons and looked into her eyes. "Only because you asked so nicely."

She grinned, watching him, as he watched her, and slowly stripped, knowing this was much better entertainment than anything going on beyond the curtain. She also knew this meant she owed Honey one hell of a tip.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Alex asked, handing Olivia a fruity, colorful drink as she sat down.

Olivia sipped the drink, smirking, and said, "I had to talk to Elliot."

Melinda narrowed her eyes and sat back. "For an hour? And how much talking were you doing?" she asked, moving the curls of Olivia's hair a bit. "That's a good one."

Olivia pulled her hair back and smacked Melinda's hand, giving her a glare. "Like Fin never gave you a hickey," she scoffed.

Casey chuckled. "Last hickey I got was in ninth grade, and it was only because he had braces, the metal did more damage than he thought."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm sorry."

The girls laughed, and the mood seemed to be lighter. For some reason Olivia was able to let loose a bit. She let the guys around them buy her drinks, had some laughs, and even joined in the girls rating of the dancers.

Elliot, too, had a much better time after laying his claim to his woman, ensuring that she knew she was the only one for him. He turned to Fin, smirking, and said, "Thanks for this, man."

Fin nodded. "Anytime," he nodded. "Ya know, I did ask Munch and Cragen to..."

"Lena would kick Munch's ass," Elliot laughed. "And we both know why Cragen isn't here." He sent another glance toward Olivia, sighing.

Everyone was accepting, happy for them, except Cragen. He had just ignored it all. Elliot sipped his beer and glanced up at the stripper, thinking for a moment that she wasn't any older than Maureen, and he closed his eyes.

In a week, his relationship with Olivia would be impossible for anyone to ignore.

**A/N: Munch and Lena piss off Olivia, Cragen has a conversation with Elliot, and the family flies in for the wedding, bringing some drama along with them. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: "Marriage is not something to be entered into lightly. It should be entered into with your whole heart, mind, body, and spirit. That's pretty damn heavy to me."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Elliot woke up from a particularly nice dream, and he rolled over with a smile. "Liv," he whispered, running his lips over the smooth flesh of her shoulder. "Baby," he breathed, hot on her neck.

Olivia mumbled something and shifted, but did not wake. She sighed and made it clear she was still sound asleep.

He chuckled and snaked his hands underneath the sheets, grazing her naked body, and his lips dropped to her neck again. "Come on, baby," he murmured. "Wake up for me."

She moaned, her body moving as his hands slid over her, and she fluttered her eyes. "El," she whispered.

"Baby, please," he groaned, rocking his body against hers as he tried to pull her up off of the comfortable mattress and onto him. "Come on, wake up," he said, nibbling on her neck again.

She finally, slowly, though, opened her eyes and moaned as he bit into her flesh. "God, Elliot, what are you…"

"Dream," he whispered harshly as he sucked. "Amazing dream."

She moaned and eased herself up onto his body, loving the way he nonchalantly rolled onto his back for her without letting go of her neck.

He gripped her hips and moved his way up, kissing her chin and cheeks before settling over her mouth. "Love you," he mumbled against her lips.

She moaned and nodded, rocking into him, her arousal growing as she grew fully awake. She reached around his neck and bucked her hips in a steady rhythm, keeping their kisses deep and powerful as she did.

He groaned, trickling his fingers down to her slit. He moaned louder as he felt how eager she was, how ready, and he positioned himself right in front of her.

The noise she made when she felt him playing at her entrance was low and gravelly, sexy and wonton, and she gave her hips a good thrust, sliding herself over him. "Tell me," she whispered, peppering his face with sweet kisses. "About your dream."

"God," he cried, dropping his head backward as he thrust up, into her, out of her, back again. "This was it, baby. Just this. So amazing."

She nodded, her forehead rubbing against his as she moved, and pressed her lips together with a stifled moan.

"Why are you trying to hold…" he stopped talking, remembering who was in the guest room next to them, why they had to be so quiet, why he'd had the dream of them like this, with her moans filling the room.

She rocked her body faster, scraping her nails down his chest, her silent panting and soft whispers reaching his ears. "El," she said quietly. "Oh, God, El."

He nodded, afraid to let any noise escape, fearing he couldn't control the volume. He bit his bottom lip, his hands moved to her breasts, and he squeezed each one. His thumbs grazed over her nipples, his eyes drove into hers, and he whispered, "Fuck yes, baby."

Letting her head fall back, she felt him tease and pull, tug and roll on her nipples, causing her to move faster. "Oh, God," she breathed.

"Come on, baby," he said to her, nodding. "That's my girl, yeah. Shit, Liv, damn it," came out of his mouth, as quiet as he could keep it all. He thrust upward harder, needing to speed things along before they got out of control, before they lost it.

Her mouth dropped open and her head fell forward as she clamped down on him, trying to keep moving. "El…Elliot…oh, God, El," her whispered, gasping voice said.

He nodded, his lips pressed together, and he grunted as quietly as he could, shooting off into her, his vision blurry as he remained fixed on her.

She panted hard as she stilled on him, her nails were lightly grazing over his chest and shoulders, and she shook her head, almost unable to believe what had just happened, as if she thought she might still be sleeping.

He lifted his hands and ran them both through her hair before looping around her neck and pulling her down to him. He kissed her slowly, sweetly, still breathing hard. "I needed that," he whispered against her lips. "I needed you. I needed...I needed this," he said, kissing her again.

She chuckled, kissing him deeply. "Glad I could help," she joked. She kissed the end of his nose and said, "Next time, try to control your crazy dreams and remember your mother is in the next room."

He rolled his eyes. "If I was seventeen, I'd care. I'm not, so I really don't. I'm a grown man, in my own house, and if I wanna make love to my fiancée, I will."

"You held back," she said, nuzzling his nose with hers, giving a soft sigh.

He let out a breath, too. "So did you."

She shrugged. "I don't think your mother would like…"

"Yeah," he interrupted, holding onto her, staying deep inside of her as he shifted them to the left, onto their sides. "I know." He kissed her and buried his head in the bend of her neck.

She laughed and rolled her eyes, and then closed them, resting her head on his. "Goodnight, El," she whispered, kissing his temple.

He gave a buck of his hips and a soft grunt, making her moan a bit. He chuckled and whispered, "Goodnight, baby." He pulled her tightly to him and sighed contentedly, falling asleep again, dreading the morning when the rest of his family would be arriving to join his mother in making their lives miserable for the next week.

* * *

"Wow," Fin said, staring as Elliot and Olivia walked into the squad room. "You two look like…"

"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all," Elliot said, downing the cup of coffee he held.

Fin raised both eyebrows. "What the hell happened to you?"

Olivia scoffed. "It's who, Fin. Who the hell happened."

"My mother," Elliot spat. "Woke up the entire fucking house at five thirty for a morning run, then made us all take cold showers…she said it would invigorate us…and she made us buckwheat pancakes with tofurkey bacon."

Fin narrowed his eyes. "Say what?"

Olivia swallowed back some of her own coffee. "It seems that Bernie has met someone, and he is a health freak. She followed his lead, says she's never felt more alive and more energetic that she does now, and she's imparting her knowledge on all of us."

"You should have seen my kids, man," Elliot said, shaking his head. "I never thought my daughters could look so demonic, but the glares they were giving my mother were…"

"I was afraid," Olivia interrupted. "Thank God the woman is staying in the hotel with everyone else for the rest of the week."

Elliot chuckled. "Now she can force my aunts to do yoga and eat sprouted English muffins." He sipped the last of his coffee and tossed the white and green cup into the bin. "On top of all that shit, Kathy called this morning and…"

"How is she?" Munch asked, butting in.

Elliot turned, folding his arms. "She's good. Better now that Andy told her he got Charlie. Her stuff is being shipped over and the man can't come within fifty feet of her or he faces charges."

"That's good," Munch said with a nod. "Is she, uh, is she gonna be at the wedding?"

"She doesn't know," Elliot said, rolling his eyes. "She said she doesn't know how she'll handle it, actually seeing me marry Liv."

Olivia scoffed and tossed her empty coffee cup into the bin, then. "She thinks now that things with Charlie went sour, she's gonna latch back onto Elliot and she doesn't wanna do it at our wedding."

Fin shook his head. "Man, you two can't just have a smooth, easy relationship, can you?"

"Have we ever?" Olivia laughed, sitting in her chair. "Nothing about us has ever been smooth or easy."

Elliot smiled at her, winked, and said, "Some things are."

She chuckled and gave him a flirtatious glance, settling in to pick up her phone messages. Elliot laughed to himself as he pulled out his chair, but before he could sit down, Cragen's voice hit his ears.

"Stabler," Cragen shouted from his office door, "Come in here, please?"

Elliot turned to eye his captain cautiously, and then he looked back at Olivia. "What did I do? You were with me, I was never out of your sight, so you tell me…what the hell did I do?"

Olivia shrugged. She bit her lip as she watched Elliot walk toward Cragen, unsure of why the man needed to see him, and not sure she wanted to know.

Elliot closed the door and sat down, and he took on a very defeated look as he said, "let me have it, Cap."

Cragen folded his arms. "I know I haven't really given you a reason to think so," he said, clearing his throat, "But I am happy for you, you and Olivia. You just have to understand…see where I'm coming from."

Elliot tilted his head and squinted. "Wait...what?"

Cragen chuckled and leaned on the edge of his desk. "You're getting married on Saturday, you asked for Thursday and Friday off, I've been avoiding giving you an answer. I didn't…I didn't want to face this, Elliot. I didn't want to realize this was happening, without my knowledge, without my consent, and…before it's too late, I need to come terms with it all."

"Yeah, uh, you had about two months to do that, Cap," Elliot said, sighing. "I don't blame you, though. I don't even really believe it myself sometimes. I wake up, and there she is, in my arms, my ring on her finger, and I wonder when it's gonna end. I wonder when I'm gonna wake up, because I've gotta be dreaming. I thought for so long that she was outta my league, or wouldn't take the chance, and now…"

"Are you happy?" Cragen asked, his eyes narrow.

Elliot, without hesitating at all, nodded and said, "Happier than I have ever been in my whole life."

"Is she happy?" Cragen asked, dropping his right hand to the surface of his desk.

Elliot smiled. "I've got it on good authority that she is," he said. "Very much so."

Cragen lifted a stapled stack of papers, slowly handing them to Elliot. "You need to fill these out, then."

Elliot took the forms, looked at them, and raised an eyebrow. "What are they?" he asked. "I thought you said we wouldn't have to transfer or…"

"When you come back from your honeymoon," Cragen interrupted, "These will have been processed and filed, and Detective Benson will no longer exist."

"What?" Elliot yelled, flipping through the papers. He choked, then, finally realizing what they were.

Cragen laughed at his expression and said, "Sounds like a bad TV show, doesn't it? Stabler and Stabler."

Elliot chuckled, handing the name and address change forms back to Cragen. "We already talked about this, and she wants to keep Benson. Professionally, at least. It's how people know her. What her reputation rests on."

Cragen nodded. "Thought you'd say that," he said, smirking. "You still have to fill out the address forms, though. Her file's had her apartment listed for too damn long, and you and I both know that it's not…"

"Yeah," Elliot interrupted with a sigh. "I'll have these back to you tomorrow," he said, taking the papers back from his captain. He stood, and just as he turned the doorknob to leave the office, he heard Olivia yelling.

Elliot and Cragen ran into the room, just in time to see Fin take hold of Olivia, keeping her away from Munch. "What the hell happened out here?" Cragen asked, folding his arms.

Elliot ran over, pulling Olivia out of Fin's arms and into Fin's. "What happened?" he asked, brushing her hair back, trying to calm her down.

Breathing hard, her eyes closed, she gritted her teeth and said, "He's marrying Lena."

Elliot was confused. He tilted his head and said, "I know that, honey, you got everything ready for them, they just need to tell us when…"

She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes as she interrupted and told him why she was really mad. "On Saturday."

**A/N: Two weddings? Or does Munch have some apologizing to do? Kathy, Elliot's mother, and several Stablers at one table…can't be good. Next. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: "Marrying someone is like entering into a life-long, binding, contract with the devil. Be sure your soul can handle eternal damnation if you breach it." Please forgive the lateness in updating, as there were log-in and update problems with the site. Hopefully, it's working now, and you can read on!**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

It took a while to calm Olivia down, and after several phone calls and an angry conversation with a certain judge, things were settled, and Munch had moved his wedding back a week.

Elliot hesitantly handed Olivia a mug of coffee, biting his lip.

"Did he make this?" she asked, her voice taking on a disdainful tone as she shot a glare toward Munch.

"No," Elliot sighed. "Fin did. It's fine."

Olivia took the mug with a scoff, sipping it carefully. She narrowed her eyes. "You just lied to me."

Elliot ran a hand down his face. "Fin said he made it, Liv. What do you want from me?"

She put the mug down and shook her head. "Nothing," she said, reaching for a pencil.

Munch rolled his eyes and leaned over. "I said I was sorry! I honestly forgot! It's not like we all knew about this long enough to plan our lives around it! I got a save the date months ago but it didn't say it was for a wedding, and the invitation…"

"You knew, Munch," she accused angrily.

Fin held up a hand. "I've had about enough of the pissed off Bridezilla version of Benson I can take, so could we please not do this again? Just drop it. It's fixed, now, ain't it?"

"Bridezilla?" Olivia questioned, annoyed.

Elliot scratched his head. "You got a little bit crazy, baby. Talking about how much money and time we spent planning, how nuts you went looking for the right dress, and the right place, and the right shoes. But…I thought it was cute," he shrugged.

Fin scoffed. "Because she's marrying your ass," he said with a chuckle. "If it was Mel talkin' like that, I'd think it was cute, too, but from my view, it was just fuckin' scary."

Munch looked over at her, seeing her calming down, and said, "Really, Olivia, I forgot that it was this Saturday. I would have never planned…I'm in your wedding! Why would I…"

"Why do you think I got so angry?" she interrupted, looking at him.

Munch sighed, closed his bespectacled eyes, and said, "I would never do that to the two of you. Not intentionally."

Olivia sighed, put her mug down, and looked at Elliot. "I know that," she said. "I'm just…edgy."

"You're nervous," Elliot said with a smirk. "Admit it."

"I'm not nervous about marrying you," she said, blinking once. "I'm just…worried that someone or something is gonna…"

Elliot covered her mouth with his hand, shaking his head. "Nothing," he said. "No one. Do you understand?"

She nodded, then poked out her tongue and licked his palm.

He made a face and pulled his hand away from her mouth, which was now contorted in a smirk, suppressing a laugh. "Damn it, Liv," he said, holding back a smile as he wiped his hand over his knee.

She chuckled, then, and she saw him wink at her, and she knew that he was perfect. Perfect for her, despite his flaws, of which there were many. He knew how to get her to laugh when she thought she didn't want to, he knew how to make her smile when it was the furthest thing from her mind, and he knew how to love her, even when she made it very difficult.

He sighed, reading her thoughts in her eyes. In only a few days, he would make it official, in front of everyone they knew, that he was hers and she was his and nothing would change that.

She smiled at him, seeing the way he was looking at her, and any fear she had subsided. Suddenly, the dress didn't matter. The shoes didn't matter. The food, the guests, and the hall didn't matter. All that mattered was him, taking her to be his wife, and her finally being able to call him her husband.

* * *

After a few more grueling hours, they all headed home, and Olivia couldn't have been more grateful. It was an emotional roller-coaster for her, between a moment of wedding-induced panic and the hard case, she needed to let it all go and relax.

Taking a deep breath as she got out of the car, she looked at Elliot. "Is someone having a party?" she asked, noticing the many cars lining the road.

"Um, I hope so," he said, assuming the worst. He grabbed her hand and led her up the stairs, and then he pushed the front door open.

"Mom!" Dickie yelled, running over and hiding behind Olivia. "Save me!"

Olivia turned her head to look at him. "From what?" she asked.

"Great Aunt Gretchen," the teenager said, making a face. "She keeps pinching my cheeks and calling me her little cutie-pie!"

Olivia's head snapped to Elliot. "Oh, no," she said, giving him a look.

Elliot took a step closer to the living room. "Holy…uh, Mom, what is everyone doing here?"

"The hotel had to evacuate. Something about a bomb threat. I told everyone not to worry, and we came here," his mother explained, as if it wasn't a big deal. "I knew you wouldn't mind."

Elliot, flabbergasted, shook his head. "Mom, not that I don't love…my entire family…but where are you all planning to…"

"Dad!" Kathleen asked, running toward him with her sister, Lizzie, by her side. "Do we really have to sleep in the living room tonight?"

Lizzie pushed her glasses up. "Aunt Donna said that we all had to use our sleeping bags because guests should get the beds."

"Oh, hold on," Elliot said, angry. He moved further into the living room, looking around at his family. "Hey! Guys, this is, uh, this is really nice of you…to all fly in for my wedding…but you…you cannot stay here. This isn't a big house, and I'm not making my kids sleep on the floor, so Liv and I will find you a place to stay."

Donna, his oldest sister, looked at him with a curious look. "But Julie said that you loved to have…"

"Julie was one person, for two days, and she stayed on the couch!" Elliot said. "Why is there a dog in here?"

A man in a suit with a thick mustache gave him a laugh. "I couldn't leave Binky home by himself, Elliot."

"Uncle Frank, uh, we can…we will find you a hotel that allows pets." He tried to shove the dog down, unsuccessfully trying to avoid the slobbery licks he was getting. "Liv!"

Olivia came in, holding her breath, and she picked up the phone. "I'm on it," she said, dialing the number of the reception hall. If anyone knew about local hotels, it was the manager of a swanky wedding venue.

She was on the phone for half an hour, during which Elliot managed to calm and collect his family, pass around coffee, and have them engaged in a good, long conversation. He looked up and saw Olivia hand up the phone, a satisfied smile on her face. "Honey?"

"Okay, Stablers," she said, clapping her hands together, "You are all booked at the Manhattan W, six rooms, and yes, they allow pets." She felt a wave of relief as they all clapped and laughed, and she heard a few "Thank yous" and "Great jobs" as they dropped their coffee cups onto the table and rose from their seats.

Elliot stood, too, hugging and shaking their hands as they each grabbed their luggage and headed for the door, apologizing for the confusion. "You are a miracle worker," he whispered to her.

"You've told me that before," she said, nodding, waving the people out of her house. "There was no way I was letting your entire family stay here for five days."

He chuckled. "You saved our lives," he said, kissing her.

"No, El, I saved theirs," she said, looking at him as the door closed behind the last straggling relative. "One of us would have killed them, and that would have really put a damper on the wedding."

He chuckled and kissed her again, turning her around. "Frank would have been knocked on his ass in seconds, and that dog…"

"Dad?" Dickie called, sitting on the bottom step, "Are they coming back?"

Elliot laughed. "No, kid. They're gone. You don't have to see your Great Aunt Gretchen until Saturday."

"Oh, thank God!" Dickie gasped, one hand over his heart.

Maureen chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know why she thinks you're so adorable."

"It's the coke-bottle glasses," Kathleen said. "Even with them, she sees things all blurry."

The girls laughed, running up the stairs, followed by an insulted, angry Dickie. Elliot chuckled and pulled Olivia closer to him and rocked with her. "God, five days, then it's just you and me and a patch of white sand somewhere in the Caribbean."

"Well, the cruise comes between us and the beach," she said, tilting her head to the side to look at him.

He laughed and kissed her nose. "You know what I meant, baby. It'll be nice to get away from all of this for a while. Spend some real time alone, really…alone." He nipped at her neck, earning a soft moan. "You can make all the noise you want when we're on that ship, baby."

She dropped her head further to the side, letting him suck on her neck, and she backed up into him. "Can't wait for that," she mumbled. "God, we haven't been able to really let go since…"

"Since you moved in," he finished, nipping at her skin. "Since we used to spend a few nights a week at your apartment. Since your old neighbor used to bang on the wall to tell us to shit the hell up. Since we got even louder just to piss him off."

She laughed, turning around in his arms. "I miss those days," she whispered, kissing his lips. "But I am happy, now, here, with the kids. Being quiet is a small price to pay for the family we have."

He nodded as he pulled her to him, kissing her. He glanced at the clock and smirked against her lips.

"What?" she mumbled, feeling him smiling. "What is it?"

He grabbed her hand and led her over to the front door, locking it, then guided her toward their room. He leaned into her, kissed her softly, and whispered, "Four days."

She gasped a bit, then looked at the clock on their nightstand. "Midnight," she whispered. "Four days." She let her eyes dart to the hall, and she thought about something in the closet. Something she hadn't tried on in a few days, and something she desperately hoped still looked amazing on her. "I'll be right back," she said, running from the room.

Elliot laughed, knowing where she was going and what she was doing. He sat on the bed, tugged off his tie, and flopped back on the mattress. He was staring at the ceiling, a goofy grin on his face, and he whispered, "Thank you."

He would be thankful for something else, very shortly, that would change his life forever. For the better.

**A/N: The wedding! Next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212 **


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…something else entirely."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia smiled through the day, humming to herself without realizing. She was murmuring the tune she and Elliot had chosen for their wedding song, and Elliot heard her doing it. He would smile and send her long glances, wondering how he'd become so lucky, and how it was possible to be so happy.

It was Fin, though, who accidentally put a damper on their bright moods. "Will you stop that?" he asked, his voice gruff. He scratched at his chin and narrowed his eyes at her. "Some of us are tryin' to get some actual work done. I can't think with you warblin' like that."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, grabbed her coffee mug, and sat behind her desk. "Sorry," she hissed, giving Elliot an annoyed look.

Elliot shrugged, not sure what was wrong with Fin. "She's happy," he said, addressing his friend. "What's wrong with that?"

Fin glared at Elliot. "She can be happy without hummin', can't she? Damn annoying."

"What the hell…look, what crawled up your ass today, huh?" Munch asked, leaning over toward his partner's desk. "You've been snapping at every…"

"I haven't gotten any sleep," Fin said, interrupting Munch. "I haven't slept in days. It's like this baby's made it his life's work to make me miserable."

Olivia folded her arms. "Fin, babies cry."

Elliot scoffed. "Yeah, they do. If I add it up, my kids kept me awake for about ten straight years," he laughed, "And eventually I'm gonna be up all night with another one."

Olivia smirked at him, but Munch chuckled. She looked at the elder detective and folded her arms. "What's so funny?"

"You and Stabler," Munch began, "Having kids. Any child the two of you have is gonna be trouble. More attitude than humanly possible, more guts than any kid should have, a wicked temper, and a shady family history. Not to mention…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elliot asked, biting his bottom lip. "Shady family history? You're not seriously bringing up…"

"Just saying that the kid is gonna have issues when he's gotta do that family tree project in third grade," Munch butted in, looking away from Elliot. "Big, full branches on the Stabler side, and two teeny twigs on the Benson side. Didn't really think about…"

"Don't make me punch you," Elliot threatened, gritting his teeth.

Olivia, though, simply shook her head and sipped her coffee. "He's right," she said quietly. She rose from her seat again, making the trip back to the coffee table to put her mug in the sink, and she ran a hand down her face. She wasn't sure why Munch had said it, but the words were ringing in her ears.

Elliot shot a glare of death to Munch as he got up, walking toward Olivia, and he rested a hand on her lower back. "He's wrong," he whispered to her. "None of that matters," he said, "And yeah, our kids are gonna be little hellions, but we're ready for that, right?"

She turned her head and gave him a small smile. "More than ready," she said with a nod.

"As long as we raise them right, which we will, things are gonna be great for them," he assured her. "Yes, them," he said, rolling his eyes at the expression on her face. "I want more than one with you, Liv."

She let her face relax into a bigger smile, a warmer one, and she said, "You've told me. I just still can't believe you."

He shrugged. "Before our first kid is out of diapers, we'll have two in college," he reminded her. "We can just keep replacing the ones that leave," he joked, brushing her hair back. He grinned when she laughed and he asked, "Dress still fit?"

"Like a glove," she said, winking. She brushed a hand over his shoulder lightly, then moved back toward her desk. She sat, picked up a pen, and got to work on the paperwork she had as she ignored Fin and Munch.

She was too preoccupied with finally being happy to let either of them upset her, especially three days before her wedding.

* * *

The night wore on, the calls came in, the victims were uncooperative, and the evidence was almost nonexistent. Dragging on, wearing them all down, the case took its toll. It made Munch more irritated, it made Fin more pissed off, and it made Olivia and Elliot more desperate for their weekend wedding, which would be followed by a weeklong cruise and several days on a private beach.

They were standing close, staring at the white board filled with photos and documents, clearly confused as they tried to connect the dots. "What are we missing?" Elliot asked, running a hand back and forth across his chin.

"A motive," Olivia said, rubbing her eyes. "A suspect, and a crime scene," she added, annoyed.

"Funny," he mumbled, nudging her with his elbow. "Look, this is a dead end case, why don't we call it a night, we'll stop somewhere, get some dinner."

She raised an eyebrow. "You know Cragen would never…"

"Liv, if I stay here for another minute, I'm gonna punch someone," he said as the hand on his chin swept over his head. "I can hear them, and they're driving me crazy."

Olivia turned, looking at Munch and Fin who were complaining about the way Elliot had run the case, about Olivia's mood, and about Cragen's lack of authority for the last few days. "They're both dealing with a lot, El," she said with a sigh. "Fin's got a baby in the house for the first time, remember he wasn't really there with Kenny. Munch is getting married, again, and he's worried it'll end like all the others. They're just…"

"That's not a reason to…" He shook his head and sighed. "I'm getting married again, too, I'm probably gonna have a baby for the first time in years sooner than expected. I'm scared out of my mind, nervous as hell, but ya know what? I have never been happier." He lowered his voice and spat, almost angrily, "I'm fucking happy, baby. If marriage or a child doesn't make you happy, if it all makes you fucking pissed off and grumpy like the two of them, then there's something wrong."

She eyed him for a moment, then she whispered, "For someone so happy, you just got pretty damned angry."

He looked at her blankly for a second, and then his face broke into a grin, and he chuckled. "That right there," he said, wagging a finger at her. "That's why I'm so happy about all of this. You always make me smile, you know just what to say and do and…"

"Oh," she said, holding up a hand and looking away from him, "Don't smile or laugh too loudly. You'll just piss them off even more. Keep your happiness to yourself, huh?"

He chuckled again and rolled his eyes, then looked back at the white board. "Where do we go with this, though? We have nothing to go on."

"This might be just one of those cases that goes cold, no matter what we do," she told him, yawning.

"Or maybe you two just need to be pointed in the right direction," Cragen said, popping up behind them, seemingly out of nowhere.

Olivia and Elliot both looked at him, surprised, and Cragen handed them a slip of pink paper. "What's this?" Olivia asked.

Cragen smirked. "Melinda got an ID on the vic, and that is her address. Go." He watched the pair leave, then turned to Munch and Fin. "And if you two wanna complain about me, either do it to my face, or make sure I can't hear you."

Munch shot Fin a stunned look, then buried his head in his paperwork. This week was going by too fast, and he was not happy about it. Not at all.

* * *

"Do you hear that?" Elliot asked, his voice barely a whisper as he and Olivia rested on their couch, snuggled under a soft blanket.

She looked up at him, confused. "I don't hear anything," she whispered back.

"Exactly," he laughed. "Silence. Finally. After the night we've had, everything is finally quiet."

She laughed and said, "Nice, isn't it?"

He nodded as he kissed her sweetly and said, "We should enjoy this while we can." He looped his arms around her and pulled her closer, holding her tighter under the blanket. He dropped his head back and sighed. "Just relax before this weekend. Saturday is gonna come fast, and it's it gonna be pretty damn crazy."

She kissed his stretched out neck, and he responded with a moan. She raked her nails over his chest and nipped at his earlobe, and she whispered, "But pretty damn amazing."

He hummed and gave a small nod, running his hands up and down her back as they kissed softly.

"Did you mean it today," she questioned, pulling away from him for a bit, "When you said you would be happy if we had a baby?"

He squinted, then raised one eyebrow very slowly. "Yes," he told her. "Why? Are you…you're not…"

"No," she said with a chuckle, loving the brief panic she'd caused. "But I know you, and I know what we're gonna be doing on that boat. A whole week with no work, no kids, no interruptions. And then on the island, another week of nothing but us and some really amazing satin sheets," she told him.

He laughed and said, "Yeah, you're probably coming home pregnant." He kissed her lips with a smirk on his own, chuckling softly. He pecked her skin with more soft kisses, reaching her shoulder as the doorbell rang.

Olivia's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell…"

"I got it," Elliot interrupted. He moved her gently off of him and sighed as he made his way to the door, swung it open, and gasped.

"Hello," the man said, smiling.

Elliot ran a hand down his face, shocked. "Hi," he said, unsure of what else to say.

"Can I come in?" the man asked, expectant.

Elliot gave a short nod, moving aside. He let the man into the living room, and he looked cautiously at Olivia. "What are you…what are you doing here?"

The man sat on the couch and leaned back. "I heard you were getting married. I had to come and congratulate you," he said. "And of course, I have to stick around to see the bride in her dress. I'm sure she's gonna be beautiful."

"She is," Elliot said. "Did you…I don't think you were actually invited, though…so…"

"Oh," the man said, smirking, "I'm actually going as someone's date."

Olivia narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. "Who the hell asked you to go to our wedding, Brian?"

Brian Cassidy, a former friend and colleague, grinned. He gave Elliot a smug look as he said, very boldly, "Kathy."

**A/N: Aw, Kathy had to know what she was doing, right? Wedding…NEXT! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: "Sometimes marriage is not the best move for people in love to make, but sometimes, it's the only logical move left. Sometimes it's Check Mate, Endgame. Sometimes, it really is perfect." – Chess.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia looked at the clock, for the seventeenth time in less than an hour. She sighed harshly and tugged the blanket, rolled and shifted, sighed again, and glanced at the clock one more time.

"It's not going to skip ahead if you keep looking at it," Elliot mumbled, groggy and seemingly amused.

"What?" Olivia whispered, turning her head a bit. She was hearing things, probably, as the man could sleep through nuclear war.

But he chuckled, proving he was awake. "You're looking at it like you want to kill it, and threatening the clock won't magically make it nine-thirty."

She sighed and rolled next to him, looping an arm around him. "Why are you awake?"

He kissed her forehead and pulled her closer. "Why are you?"

"Touché," she said with a yawn. She nuzzled closer to him and whispered, "Today."

He hummed and his head bobbed in a nod. "Today," he whispered back to her. "You ready for this?"

She nodded, her nose grazing lightly over his chest, and she discreetly inhaled deeply, taking him in. "That's why I'm awake. I feel like I should be panicking, I feel like I should be nervous or scared, but I'm just really…"

"Excited," he finished, grinning. He kissed her lips softly, pulling her even closer to him. "Me, too." He sighed, as she had done many times, and said, "I'm really glad you decided to stay with me tonight."

She ran her lips lightly over his, down to his neck. He felt her lips move against his skin as she said, "I'm not superstitious, and we're already unbelievably untraditional. I couldn't stand being away from you, El. Especially not now. Not tonight."

He swallowed hard, his eyes closed, and he let out an unintentional moan. Olivia had shown him that he had many soft spots and hot buttons he didn't know about, because she paid attention to every inch of his body, worshipped him as he did her, and his neck was number two on the list. "Liv, baby, you…"

"We're obviously not getting any sleep," she murmured, her lips parting a bit and her tongue poking out as she spoke to lightly touch his flesh.

He let out an almost strangled sound. "Honey, if you're too tired to...if you're not up for anything, you shouldn't…"

"I know what I'm doing," she said, her stern detective-voice turned up. She placed a soft kiss to the spot of skin just above his right pectoral, and then the licked a trail up to the soft spot behind his right ear.

That was button number two. He groaned. "God, Liv, I…"

She chuckled, as he lost his voice, replacing the words with groans. She opened her mouth a bit more and caught a bit of his neck between her teeth, biting just enough to be erotic without hurting him.

The noise he made was inhuman, low and gravelly, and his hands shot to her waist. His fingertips licked at her hips and things like flames, his body was on fire and he wanted hers to be just as sensitive.

She shifted over him, rocking her hips into the growing hardness she felt at the junction of her thighs. "El," she whispered, moving over him slowly.

He shook his head and tried to fight the urge to flip her over and ravage her. "This is…we promised this would be…God, baby, we said we wouldn't…until tonight."

"We don't have to," she whispered softly, low and sultry. Her left hand ran down his chest, her nails grazing and igniting a hitter fire in their wake. She reached her goal, her thumb grazed his tip and he growled again, a painful sounding cry followed. "Never heard that one," she teased.

"Never been this worked up before," he mumbled, his head lolling to his left, coercing her to nip at the other side of his neck. He skimmed his hands up from their spot on her legs, running toward her thighs.

She let her teeth just barely run over his hard-beating pulse and she bit, earning a deep moan from him. She moaned, then, too, feeling two his fingers slide upward, swiping through her wet folds. Her own hand was running up and down his shaft slowly, bringing him closer to bliss as unhurriedly as she could.

"You need…" he tried to speak, his voice was broken and dry. He shook his head and pushed one thick finger into her, making her cry out his name. He smirked, his ego still heavily inflated by the word coming from her voice like that. "Faster," he managed to spit out.

Her hand moved faster, at his command, and her hips rocked into his own working palm. She gripped his body with her free hand as he slipped another finger tightly into her. "God, El," she moaned, loud and throaty.

"Fuck, I love that," he breathed, his hips rising and falling with each stroke of his lover's hand. He twisted his wrist, moving his fingers deep and fast. "I love you," he groaned, moving his thumb rapidly over her swollen clit.

She yelped, bucked into his hand harder. Her back arched and her grip on him tightened.

"Jesus," he hissed, his body rocking as his free hand moved up to cup and squeeze at her breast. He bit his lip and grunted again, meeting her eyes as he rolled her nipple between his fingers. He bent his body up to capture her other nipple in his mouth, his moans loud. His murmurs and ramblings grew unintelligible.

She was working fast, hard, feeling him twisting his fingers inside of her, feeling his thumb flicking over her sensitive bud over and over again, causing deep moans and high whines. She heard him repeated "God, Liv," and she slammed her mouth over his, invading him, kissing him deeply as she came against his hand, on his fingers, with a long, lilting, cry.

Her tantalizing gestures and carnal noises drove him over the edge, and as her thumb swiped over his tip for the last time he burst, grunting loudly as his hips moved violently and he kissed her with more wholeheartedness.

They were silent; just the sounds of their heavy breathing and skin rubbing together in comfort filled the air. Their foreheads were touching, their hearts were beating hard and fast and together. They stayed close and quiet, taking in what had just happened, reveling in it.

"I love you," he whispered, finally breaking the silence. He ran his hands through her hair, looking into her eyes as she rested on top of him. His hands on either side of her face, he firmly stated again, "I love you, Liv."

She smiled, letting out a soft puff of air. She ran her hands down the sides of his face in a gentle caress. "I love you, too, El." She rubbed her nose gently against his and settled her spent body against his. She tried to control her breathing, tried to calm down enough to sleep, but her recent orgasm only made her more aware that in less than six hours, she would be married to the man beneath her. She was way too happy to sleep.

* * *

"Are you all right?" Fin asked, looking at Elliot's reflection in the mirror as he fastened his cuff links.

Elliot scoffed, tying his bowtie for the fifth time. "Fine. Perfect. About to marry the woman of my dreams in front of two hundred people we barely know, including my ex wife and her date, who has slept with my fiancée. I'm just great!"

Fin rested a hand on his shoulder. "You're marrying Benson, man. Those people out there don't matter, all that matters is how she's gonna look walkin' down that aisle, headed for you in that dress, the biggest smile she's ever had on her face beamin' back at you. The vows you make to her, the promise you give her, that's what matters today, so to Hell with Cassidy and Kathy. Just marry your girl."

Elliot turned over his shoulder and grinned. "Thanks," he said. "Where the fuck was that supportive attitude when I really needed it?"

"Look, man," Fin sighed, running a hand down his face. "Things with Mel were bad, things with the baby were worse, I don't know what the hell I'm doin' and instead of talkin' to you I just shut down. I'm sorry."

Elliot slapped him in the shoulder. "No worries, man. I know what it's like, feeling like you can't talk to your wife or deal with your problems together. I was married to Kathy, remember?"

Fin chuckled. "But now, you're gonna be married to Olivia. you won't have that problem with her."

Elliot took in a breath and let it out hard. "I know," he said. "I still don't believe it. I won't. Not until we're out there, and she says 'I do,' and even then I'll be convinced I'm dreaming."

Munch walked up behind them and laughed. "Well, ya know, she still has time to run. You want me to go see if she's still in there? Check the fire escape?"

"Man, why do you have to do that?" Elliot snapped, turning to him. "You did this when we brought up kids, when we talked about remodeling the house, you always have to make us panic and you make these snide, insulting…"

"It's how I deal, Stabler," Munch interrupted. "I'm cynical, jaded, bitter. I don't know how to be happy, Elliot. Bitter humor is a defense mechanism, and you know I don't mean it, I just…"

"Then shut up, John!" Fin interjected. "You don't think he's been thinkin' about that all day? Have a little sympathy, here!"

"Mom's there, Dad," Dickie said, stepping up to his father. "You know she is. She's there, in the dress she spent months crash-dieting to fin into, with Grandma's veil and her mother's earrings, and she is gonna walk toward you and make you forget your own name in about ten minutes. So you might wanna put your shoes on."

Elliot smirked at his son. "Thanks, Kid," he said, playfully punching him in the shoulder.

"No problem, Big Guy." Dickie gave his dad a shot in the arm in return, hoping that he hadn't just lied to his father, hoping that Olivia really was in the next room, and she really would walk down that aisle.

Ten minutes flew by fast, and when no one came to tell him Olivia was gone or hiding in the bathroom, he relaxed a bit. He and his groomsmen walked out, into the chapel, and they lined up at the front of the long, white carpet.

Elliot glanced at each one of them: his son, his brothers, Munch, and Fin. He took a deep breath and turned to look at the large, wooden door. He smiled as he watched Lizzie walk in first, her silver dress shining in the light. She had a huge smile on her face and she waved excitedly at her father.

Elliot chuckled, then nodded at Kathleen, and then Maureen as they filed in, taking their spots to his right. He couldn't help but glare at Alex, who had been a major pain in the ass, and then he smiled at Casey, and then he lost all common sense. He heard the organist play the chords, and his vision blurred slightly as he saw her walking toward him.

The dress fit like a glove, as she had said, and it made her look like an angel. His angel. He didn't realize that he was crying until a teardrop fell onto his hand. His vision had gone blurry because he was welling up with tears, and he wasn't blinking. He saw her look at him, he saw her eyes, and he saw that she was just as emotional.

This was it, he thought. The moment he'd been waiting for, the moment he'd been praying for, when all of his dreams would come true. All of his dreams lied with Olivia, anyway, and she would be his, forever, without question. He stood up a little straighter as she moved closer, never taking his eyes off of her.

She reached for his hand, and he took hers eagerly, giving it a soft squeeze. He nodded at Cragen, who he had only just noticed, and sent him off to his seat. He stood beside Olivia, filling with pride and anxiety, and pure love.

She smiled at him again, and she leaned in close to him. "We made it," she whispered.

He chuckled. "I owe you fifty bucks," he said with a wink. He squeezed her hand again and they turned together, looking at the officiator. His heart was beating so strongly, it felt as if he was going to explode. He could hear nothing but the pounding in his ears, only focusing on the man's lips to be sure he'd say the right thing at the right time.

Olivia felt him tense beside her, and she squeezed his hand tighter. He looked at her, then, and he relaxed. He saw certainty in her eyes, devotion and eagerness. He mouthed the words, "I love you." She gave a soft chuckle and nodded, then jutted her chin toward their minister.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled, too, looking at the man who was attempting to give a sermon about partnership and respect, love and trust, clearly unaware of the powerful relationship between the couple before him.

Elliot didn't know why, but he turned, and he looked at Kathy. He saw the barest tinge of regret in her eyes, but she was smiling. She nodded at him and linked her arm with Brian Cassidy's. Elliot's stomach lurched at the sight of him, as it did whenever he ran into one of Oilvia's exes, but he smirked. He knew that Cassidy would never touch Olivia again, no one would. No one but him.

It was with that thought he felt a high heel dig into his foot. He winced and turned around, laughing as softly as he could, and he gave Olivia's hand yet another loving clench. He listened to the minister, turned to Olivia, and repeated the vows they'd chosen to recite. He held her hands and her gaze, and he kept his emotions in check as he answered the man's final question. "I do," he said. "With all my heart."

The man in front of them repeated the same phrases, then asked the same question to Olivia, who was still staring very intently into Elliot's blue eyes. Her voice was shaky, her lip was quivering, and her eyes were running over. "You have no idea how much I do. I really do."

There were some chuckles from the mass of people, but Elliot gripped both of her hands tightly again. They slipped beautiful rings onto each other's fingers, both sets of hands shaking terribly. He exhaled sharply as he reached for her veil, and he flipped it up and over, finally taking in the sight of her entire face. He lost his breath, and he forgot his own name for a moment.

Dickie had been right.

The minister proclaimed to the congregation that the power vested in him gave him the honor to pronounce Elliot and Olivia man and wife, and he gestured to Elliot with both hands expectantly.

Elliot narrowed his eyes slightly, gave Olivia a wicked grin, then pulled hard on her hands. She gasped a bit as she fell into his arms, and he twisted his body as he caught her, sipping her low and slanting his lips over hers in the epitome of a fairy-tale kiss.

The room erupted in applause as Elliot and Olivia laughed through their kiss, and he righted them, straightening up. He pulled away from her, unwillingly but with a smile. "You really married me," he whispered.

"Hell yeah, I did," she returned with a laugh.

He chuckled, he kissed her again, and he whispered into her ear, "I love you, baby."

"I love you, too," she told him, sighing. "So much."

He took her hands again, and pulled her quickly toward the doors, eager to get to their reception, get her home, and get her on that big, beautiful boat.

Kathy watched them leave, laughing and crying at the same time. This may have been the beginning of his life with Olivia, but it marked the ending of her life with either of them. She sent a glance at Brian, and she shook her head. It was a stupid move, she knew, trying to upset them on their wedding day, but it didn't work. She was actually relieved it hadn't.

The only one upset at the moment seemed to be Brian, and she had no idea why.

**A/N: A honeymoon full of surprises! Two weeks of love, sex, uninvited guests, mysteries, and did I mention, love and sex? (suggestions for scenes welcome) Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: "It is only when we realize we have what we have always wanted, that we realize...we want something else."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

She took a deep breath, looking out over the edge of the boat. Her hair was blowing in the sea breeze, the skirt of her sundress was doing the same, and her eyes were tilted toward the sunset, painting the sky in hues of pink and purple. She was lost in her thoughts, wondering how she got where she was in her life, because she honestly couldn't remember being anywhere else.

She felt strong arms wrap around her, she felt soft lips graze the skin of her bare shoulder, and she heard a low moan come from a deep. sexy voice. "Hello there, Detective Stabler," she said, tilting her head toward him with a smirk.

"Hello yourself, Detective Stabler," he returned, bringing a frosty bottle of beer to his lips as his other hand slid up and down her body. He swallowed and licked his lips, then looked form her to the sky. "That is really beautiful," he said, kissing her shoulder again. "This is nice." He kissed her neck and held her as the sun sunk lower, hiding behind the expanse of blue water.

She hummed and nodded, dropping her head backward onto his chest. "This is perfect," she said.

He chuckled and ran his ring-laden left hand down her dress, slipping his hand underneath to feel the soft, bare skin of her thighs. His right hand raised his beer bottle to his lips again, and he moved closer to her, pressing his unexpected hardness into her, as his hips began to sway.

She moaned as her eyes slid shut. "What are you doing?"

"We're on our honeymoon. On a cruise," he said, his fingers teasing the waistband of her bikini bottoms, of the suit she wore beneath her dress. "There's music playing, I'm trying to dance with my wife."

She chuckled. "Wife," she said, more to herself than him, "That sounds so..."

"Weird," he finished, taking another sip of his beer. "I know, but it also sounds pretty fucking amazing." He kissed the bend of her neck, licked at it, nipped at it, then drew his mouth up to her ear. "We could get away with a lot on this boat, Liv." He let his tongue swirl in the curve of her ear and he felt her buck backward into him, rubbing against him. "I could turn you around, take you right here, up against the rails, right in front of all these other drunk assholes."

"El, you...you can't...oh, God," she said, her ragged breathing making speech difficult. He was torturing her. He knew her ears were her hot spot, and his hand wasn't innocent in this, the way it was weaving in and out of the nylon and sliding over her dampening skin.

"Oh, I can," he said hotly into her ear. "No one is even gonna notice," he told her, grabbing her hip and twisting, now pressing into the front of her body, pinning her against the high rails of the ships side. "If we move slow, they'll think we're dancing." He grabbed hold of her dress, stilling her, and slid his hand back up, pushing her swimsuit aside. "Or maybe they'll think we're just a couple of drunks, making out on the edge of the boat."

She saw the look in his eyes, saw the grin on his face, and she knew he was serious. "You really...you really wanna do this?"

For an answer, he dropped his empty beer bottle into a can behind him, looked around, then quickly pulled himself out of his trunks. He moved fast, lifting her up and holding her tight, then pushed into her and slammed him mouth over hers.

She wrapped her arms around him, keeping her balance as she sat on the metal rail, and prayed that anyone who might look their way really would see only a drunk couple making out, that the action beneath her dress would remain unseen.

She moaned softly as he moved slowly, as his hands fisted her hair and pulled and caressed. She remembered a time when she hated him when he drank. When his temper would flare and he would punch walls and curse at everyone. Or he would get emotional, blame himself for things, mistakes he may have made.

She bit his lip and sucked lightly on his tongue, making him growl as he moved within her slowly and deeply, and she took in how he was now, how drinking simply made him horny as hell and uninhibited. He told her it was her fault, how he was always a sex-crazed maniac when he drank, but he only drank around her, and up until two years ago, he couldn't act on his impulses or desires with her.

He was much happier now, much more fulfilled, fulfilling her every need as well. He gripped the sides of her face and steadied her, kissing her deeply as he rolled his body, swayed his hips, knowing that his usual thrusting would make what they were doing obvious.

He moaned, groaned, loving the way moving his body in different ways was intensifying every feeling. He felt her grip him, heard her making some noises he had never heard before, and knew he was doing something right. He pulled his lips away from hers and looked at her, her face contorted into several erotic expressions, and he rolled and twisted. "Cum," he whispered to her.

She bit her lip and forced her eyes to open, and as she watched him she could tell that his only concern was watching her, feeling her. She reached up to grab his neck and pulled him down to her again. She pressed her forehead to his and whispered, "Make me."

He growled again, giving her one, single, thrust, burying himself in her fully. He rocked his body, rubbing against her as he felt her tighten, friction and heat bringing him closer to his own climax.

She kept her head pressed to his, kept her body moving with his, and she moaned a bit as she said, "Make me cum, El."

He kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth. He tightened his hold on her body and rolled his hips, and finally he felt her walls close around him, clenched. He moaned as he felt her shake in his arms, and he kissed her as he soothed her, guiding her through it. He had come, only a moment after her, and was trying to regulate his own breathing when he heard her say something.

"What?" he panted, pulling away from her neck to look into her eyes.

She felt him move, then she watched as he slipped himself back into his swim trunks. "I said, 'That was amazing."

He chuckled as he smoothed his hands back up her dress, pulling her bottoms back over her exposed flesh, and he pulled her down off the rail into his arms. Sweaty, sated, and still panting, he kissed her and moved with her, really dancing this time. "That, my dear, is what's gonna make us a baby."

She raised an eyebrow at him, then laughed and shook her head. "You're not gonna stop until..."

"Nope," he said, interrupting her. He kissed her and danced her back over to the tiki bar. "I need another drink," he laughed, spinning her around once.

She laughed, too, then looked at him. "You are just plain giddy, aren't you?"

He sighed and paid for his beer, then looked at her, his expression serious. "I'm happy," he said with a shrug. "Really happy. I can't remember ever being this..." he paused and he looked at her, then he took her hand and led her to a table. He pulled out a chair for her, then sat beside her. "I was happy, with you, this whole time. I was. But today, ya know, we got to the port, we got on this ship, and it all just hit me. You're mine, really mine. You're not allowed to get up and leave, not without me signing a piece of paper that I'm never gonna..."

"I would never ask you to," she told him, her eyes narrow.

"Oh, baby, I know that," he said, taking her hand. "Believe me, I know. But for the first time, I can breath easy and I can wake up in the morning feeling blessed that my wife is the woman I truly and deeply love, and trust, and that you're with me because you wanna be, not because we made a mistake and you have to be." He took a sip of his beer, and he said, "That makes me happy. Really happy."

"Oh, El," she whispered, bridging the small gap between them. She cupped his face and pulled him toward her, and she kissed him. It was the slowest, most delicate kiss she'd ever given him, and she was almost afraid to look at him when it was over. "You will never know how happy..." she stopped, noticing the glistening in his eyes. "What?"

Without saying a word, he rose out of his seat, pulled her up, and led her toward their door. He knew that he was the happiest he had ever been, and now he knew she was just as happy, but something was missing.

And he was determined that it wouldn't be missing for long.

**A/N: Another night on the boat, a phone call from home, and the reality of married life. Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: "A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person." ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia sighed as she rolled over, her open eyes focusing on the small, round, window of her boat room. She smiled and sighed again, content, and then she sunk into the mattress, and could really feel the rocking of the boat.

Her smile faded and her eyes slid shut, and in moments she was up and in the bathroom.

Elliot, grumbling in sleep, rolled over, and when his hand hit flat mattress, he shot up. "Liv?"

She flushed and rinsed her mouth out, then shook her head and walked back into the bedroom. "Seasick," she mumbled, flopping back into the bed. "It's fine when I'm not thinking about it, but once I take the time to feel the rocking...the waving...the up and down..." she lurched again, then shot up and back into the bathroom.

"Liv? Baby?" Elliot called to her, his brow furrowed, "Since when do you get seasick?" He heard the toilet flush again and heard her brushing her teeth, again. "It's a cruise ship," he said to himself. "It doesn't rock." He wondered something to himself, something that gave him chills.

She walked back out of the bathroom, but stopped when she noticed the way he was looking at her. "What?"

He shook his head as stared at her. Her hair was mussed, her silk negligee was slipping off of one shoulder, and her eyes were glazed over. "Can I tell you something?" he asked, his eyes never tearing from her body.

She nodded as she walked back to the bed, trying to stay upright as the ship rocked. He made it to the bed and flattened out next to him.

"You look so beautiful right now," he said, brushing her hair back and kissing her forehead.

"I don't feel very beautiful," she said, burying her head in his chest.

He chuckled and dragged his fingertips lightly down her back. "You never believe me when I tell you."

She shook her head and said, "I believed you at the wedding." She smiled and snuggled closer to him. "The look in your eyes, El, you made me feel beautiful."

He kissed her lips softly and whispered, "I always look at you like that, though. I think you just noticed it then."

She chuckled and yawned. "Sorry I woke you up," she said, trailing one finger up and down his chest. She swirled an intricate pattern over his skin, making him moan.

"I absolutely do not mind," he mumbled, letting her tease him.

She smirked and splayed her fingers out, scraping his body with her nails a bit harder than before. She felt him jerk and twitch, heard him moan, and she grinned.

"Wicked," he said, running his hand through her hair. "You're a wicked woman, Olivia Stabler."

She paused for a moment, looking down at him. She laughed softly, then, continuing her light scratching. "I guess I am."

"You feel okay?" he asked, concerned for her as he watched her move over him, straddling him.

She bit her lip and nodded. "I told you," she said. "I'm fine when I don't think about it." She leaned over and whispered, her breath minty-fresh against his lips, "So how about you help me not think about it?"

His hands slid up her legs, up her thighs, under her nightie. He pulled it up, over her head, and he gasped softly as her body came into full view. "I will never get used to seeing you like this, no matter how many times I do." He bent his head up and pressed his lips to her chest, pecking it with sweet kisses. "You always take my breath away," he whispered.

She peered down at him, feeling his stiffness twitch beneath her, against her slit. She was still sensitive, he gave her quite a workout the night before, and she moaned as it moved against her flesh.

He let out a low, rumbling noise, bucking his hips and sliding between her folds. He seethed in pure pleasure as he felt her wet heat close over him. He reached a hand up to caress her cheek, looking into her eyes, and the love in them made him stop moving.

"What?" she asked, sitting up, stopping her rocking over him.

He shook his head quickly. "Nothing," he whispered, thrusting up into her. "I promise, I was just...I love you."

She moved, then, too, meeting his thrusts and sinking onto him, then riding up as he pulled out of her. "I love you, too, El," she said softly, her eyes on his.

He held her tightly, savoring ever move she made, every sensation she caused him. He was beyond happy, blissful, as he filled her and loved her. He only hoped his hunch was right, and that he'd given her the kind of happiness he had given her years ago.

* * *

When they decided to finally leave their room, the sun was shining brightly, the sea breeze was light, and the ship was steadily speeding toward their island destination.

They walked down to the main deck, hands linked tightly, and anyone looking could tell instantly they were in love. It was okay with them, it meant that anyone looking would know to keep their hands to themselves.

He pulled out a chair on the deck for Olivia, watched her sit, and made sure she was comfortable, then he sat across from her. He sighed as he sat, and he shook his head. "Day two," he said, chuckling.

She pulled his hand into hers across the table and asked, "Did you call the kids?"

He laughed, throwing his head back. "Really, I try to get all romantic and all you can think about is.." he sighed, realizing it meant she was worried, attached to his kids. "Yeah, baby, I called the kids. And, uh, everything...well, they're kids."

"Tell me," she said, tilting her head. "What did your son do this time?"

He scoffed. "How come when he's in trouble he's my son, but when he's the perfect child he's your little boy?" he chuckled.

"Welcome to married life," she teased, as if he'd never been married before. "What did he do?"

He ran his thumb along the side of her hand, and he sighed. "He got into a fight with his Civics teacher over the statute of limitations on certain crimes in the city." He send his free hand up to signal a waiter, and he said, "He was right, which, ya know, is probably because of us. That only pissed the teacher off even more and things escalated..."

"El, what the hell did he do?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

Elliot smirked. "He called her a raging cuntbag with knobs," he said. "He gets that 'knobs' thing from you, ya know."

She shrugged and said, "Well, I have to leave my mark on your children somehow. I couldn't bless them with my good looks and charm."

He laughed again, and he brought her hand up to his lips, kissing it lightly. "You have left your mark, baby. Trust me." He dropped her hand and turned to the waiter standing beside him, he ordered a beer for himself and then said, "And could you make a virgin Pina Colada for her? She had a little...seasick...thing this morning, so I wanna keep it light tonight."

She folded her arms and she shook her head. "El, you haven't let me have any..."

He raised a hand to her, winked at her, and then said to the waiter, "Pie. Two slices of coconut cream pie."

She grinned, accepting his offer of pie in lieu of liquor. "Whipped cream," she said, leaning over onto the table.

The waiter nodded and then Elliot turned to her, smiling. "I know you." He linked his fingers with hers again, sighing as he looked into her eyes.

She tilted her head and smiled back at him, then asked, "Did they say anything else? How are the girls?"

"Maureen wants to go to some school in Canada because she has suddenly developed a hatred for American politicians, Kathleen told me if we come back without any 'great news' she is locking us in the house for another week, Lizzie won first prize at the science fair and hopes you wont mind her using your flatiron for her project."

Olivia laughed and scooted her chair closer to his. "So they're okay with Kathy, then?"

Elliot nodded. "Brian...they said that Brian is really nice," he said with a shrug. "Oh, uh, Casey and Ryan...are getting married."

"Again?" Olivia asked, chuckling. "Oh! Shit, El, we have to call Munch! Their wedding is Saturday."

He furrowed his brow then, studying her face. "How long have we been married?"

"Almost three whole days, why, you sick of me already?" she joked.

He shook his head, his expression still perplexed. "We just sat here, on the second day of our honeymoon, talking about our kids, and making mental to do lists, like we've been married for years."

She leaned closer to him, rubbing her nose lightly over his. "We have been," she said. "We have been unofficially married for almost eight years. Honestly, this partnership came with a lot of the same issues that a marriage has, right? The sex came very late in the relationship, but damn it was worth the wait," she said, laughing.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I guess that's it." He kissed her and smoothed his hands over her body. "And the sex...the incredible, phenomenal sex...was definitely worth the wait."

"We're making up for all that lost time," she laughed. "I think we're setting some kind of record," she mumbled as she narrowed her eyes, smirked, and pressed her forehead to his.

He moaned in agreement, slipping his hands under the table, under her dress. "You just keep wearing these sexy little dresses, and we're good." He ran his fingers up and down her inner thighs as he kissed her.

She smirked against his lips, then opened her mouth to let him deepen the kiss. She felt him moving his hands up further, teasing her through her panties, keeping their lips firmly attached.

A throat cleared. They pulled apart, grinning at the waiter. "Thanks," Elliot said. "You can just leave them on the table."

The waiter nodded, annoyed, and dropped the drinks and the pie onto the empty space on the table. He walked away and Elliot immediately returned to his place, kissing Olivia, and his hands trickled back to where they were playing before the interruption. "I can't seem to keep my hands off of you, Olivia Stabler."

Her heart thudded again, as soon as he said her new name. She smiled and said, "You have a problem keeping every part of your body off of me." She kissed him and whispered, "And that's the way it stays, got it?"

"Yes, Detective," he teased, kissing her. He pulled one hand out from under her skirt and picked up a fork, digging into a slice of pie. He held it out in front of her, watched her eat it, watched her eyes roll, and moaned. "Good?"

"So good," she said, lifting another fork, jabbing the pother slice, and feeding a bit to him. "Open up, baby," she said with a chuckle.

He opened his mouth, let her feed him, and he nodded as he licked his lips. "That's good, but ya know what tastes even better?"

"What?" she asked, curious, looking at him with a sexy smile.

He swiped his finger over the top of the pie, scooping up a bit of whipped cream. He dabbed it over her lips then kissed her slowly. "You," he said as he pulled away.

They laughed, feeding each other and sharing sweet kisses. Little did they know, the honeymoon would be over all too soon.

**A/N: GASP! But the honeymoon wont end just yet, ;) Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: "Love is not what keeps a marriage together; it is what still exists even if the marriage falls apart. It is what binds the souls together despite connections. It transcends all other things and survives when all else dies. Love just is. Always." ~ Henrik Hoeschenfield. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

"Please," Elliot whispered against Olivia's skin. "Baby, please?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "No, we cannot buy the boat, El." She pushed him off her, ignoring the puppy-eyed expression he was giving her. "We absolutely are not getting a boat, no."

Elliot chuckled. "We can afford it." He kissed her as the line to get off of the boat and onto the island moved. "We just have to not eat or feed any of the children and none of them can go to college."

She laughed and shook her head. "Over my dead body," she said, shoving him playfully. "Move," she chuckled, shoving him down the ramp.

He turned and took her hand, and once she was on the pier, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a soulful, emotional kiss. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Ya know, I'm still queasy." She rested her forehead against his. "We were docked, though, so I don't..."

"And how long have you been feeling queasy?" he interrupted, waiting for the boathand to get their luggage out of the hold.

She tilted her head. "A few days, since...I've been getting seasick, El, it's not..."

"In the morning, and you're only sick on and off until a little after two in the afternoon," he told her, cutting her off again. "Now, you're not familiar with it, but I sure as hell am, Liv. You've got morning sickness."

"Did you drink yourself stupid?" she asked, her eyes narrow. "I am not preg..."

"How do you know?" he said, again not letting her finish talking. He leaned in closer to her and said, "We have never, not once, used a condom. You haven't exactly remembered to take your pill every day for who knows how many months."

She squinted at him, but before she could speak, the boathand walked up to them with their luggage, tagged and numbered. "Here you are, Sir. Ma'am."

"Oh," Elliot chuckled. "Don't call her 'ma'am.' She'll hurt you."

Olivia slapped him in the arm and he laughed, and the boathand chuckled at their playful attitudes. He walked away with a sigh, knowing he was lucky to have witnessed it.

Elliot turned back to Olivia and he sighed, giving her a smile. "You could be," he shrugged.

"Is that why you haven't been letting me drink?" she asked as they grabbed their bags and walked toward the welcome center down the pier.

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Maybe," he said. "But I made sure you had plenty of pie," he laughed.

She chuckled, taking his hand, and she sighed. "Maybe I am. I don't know. You wanna find out?"

"Not now," he said, shaking his head. "Let's just enjoy this week. No liquor for you, just in case."

"Oh, but you'll be drinking like a camel," she laughed, rolling her eyes.

They stopped on the line in front of the welcome booth, and he nodded. "You love me when I'm drunk."

She gave him a suspicious look. "Do I?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," he said, pressing into her with a growl. "You love how I get when I can't think about anything but you. Naked."

"That's you sober," she joked, challenging him.

"Ah, see, but drunk...I don't care who's watching," he said, wagging his eyebrows. He leaned closer, smirking.

She smirked back and moved with him, meeting him in an amazing kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss lasted, their hands wound in each other's hair, their bodies pressed together tightly. They were interrupted, after a few long minutes, by the woman sitting in the booth. "Welcome to Paradise Island," the woman said, chuckling. "But it looks like you two were in paradise long before you got here."

Elliot, his head still resting against Olivia's, nodded. He had been in paradise for years.

Olivia kissed him sweetly, got their guidebook and welcome kit from the woman behind the desk, and grabbed her rolling suitcase. With her other hand, she grabbed his elbow and began walking toward the main road to find their hotel.

"This is nice," he said, his thumb absently moving over the side of her hand. "No stress, no rapists, no killers, just you and me and maybe a baby."

She looked at him for a moment, seriously studying his face as he gazed up at the blue sky. "You're really sure I'm pregnant," she said. "You…you want me to be, don't you?"

"I'm not gonna lie, Liv, I have dreamt about it," he told her, his face taking on a more serene expression. "Since the first time I kissed you. Before that, even. I used to wonder what it would be like to see you with a bump, the glow you would have, how happy you would be."

He turned and lifted his hand, still clutching hers, and caressed her face with his thumb lightly. "I used to think about the kind of cravings you'd have, the weird shit I would have to get out of bed at three in the morning to get for you," he said with a soft laugh. "I used to have these visions of us cuddling in bed, my head on your belly, listening to the baby's heartbeat and talking to…"

"Used to," she interrupted. So you don't dream about it anymore?" she asked, teasing him.

"Oh, baby, I think about it now," he said, nodding as he said the words. "I don't have to dream because it's all gonna happen." He kissed her lips softly and whispered, "You're gonna make all my dreams come true."

She kissed him harder, his words giving her heart a good jolt. "I love you," she said.

He chuckled and said, "I love you, too, honey." He pulled her along, their slow and calm walk toward the hotel door gave them some time to just enjoy each other and the island air.

He opened the door for her, watched her walk in with her suitcase rolling behind her, and he gave her ass a light slap. He chuckled as she turned to glare at him, and he walked in after her.

Something caught his eye, then, and he squinted to focus. He shook his head, hoping he was wrong, hoping he didn't really see who he thought he saw. He turned and headed into the hotel and quickly took his place at Olivia's side. "Hey, uh, you weren't lying to me when you said you don't talk to…"

"You saw him, too?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I haven't talked to him in over two years, El. I would have told you if he so much as sent me an email." She looked at him and folded her arms. "Something's up."

"You think this is case-related?" he asked, whispering to her. "He needs us to help him with a case?"

She kissed his cheek, then peeked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the man they both knew had been following them. "Baby," she whispered, "I think we are the case."

**A/N: Say what? Who is it? What does he want? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212, and check out my novel CHASE on bn dot com and Amazon! **


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: "Marriage is the thread that ties two people together, legally. Love is what binds them together, eternally."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

Olivia watched Elliot end the phone call and toss his cell phone back into their beach bag. He ran a hand down his face, sighed, and said, "Well, we're officially the only happy couple at the One-Six."

"What?" she asked, sitting up. "What does that mean?"

"Lena never showed up," Elliot said sadly. "Munch was there, waiting, and Lena just…the man finally comes to terms with his fear of commitment, and she's the one who leaves him at the altar? Doesn't make sense."

Olivia bit her lip. "Poor John," she said, shaking her head.

"Yeah," Elliot scoffed. "He has a date tonight."

Olivia's eyes bulged. "What? How can he just…"

Elliot chuckled. "John Munch is an eternal bachelor," he said, interrupting her. "Face it, baby, he was never meant to be tied down, and this time he was lucky enough to have someone else make that decision for him."

She rolled her eyes and leaned back on her towel, basking in the warmth of the sun. "You said 'last happy couple' so what happened with Melinda and Fin now?"

Elliot opened his mouth to answer her, but he was overcome with the desire to kiss her. He licked his lips, leaned over to her, and pressed his lips to hers.

She was a bit stunned, but she soon relaxed and let him kiss her. Her hand moved slowly to the back of his head, she scratched lightly at the base of his scalp, she felt his fingertips teasing her arms, and she knew there was something different in this kiss.

He pulled away with a soft sigh, smiled at her, and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you," she said back, blinking behind her sunglasses. "Where did that come from?"

He chuckled and kissed her again as he moved his body completely over hers. "That came from my heart, Liv."

She felt her insides turn to jelly, and she raised an eyebrow to hide it. "When did you become such a mush?" she joked.

He nuzzled her and rand a hand over her bare stomach, part of him hoping there was a child growing beneath his fingers, and part of him hoping he had more time alone with her. Either way, he'd be thrilled. He took a deep breath as he lightly nuzzled her neck and chin, and he whispered, "When you told me you loved me, too. When you didn't push me away when I kissed you for the first time. That moment, Liv, made me a softie."

She pulled lightly on the back of his neck, bringing her face close to his. Against his lips, she whispered, "Nah, baby. You're still a bad ass." She smirked as she kissed him and they shared a chuckle. She gasped into his mouth when his hand slipped low, into her bikini bottoms. "Not here," she mumbled into their kiss.

He just gave her an evil sounding laugh, continuing to move his hand under the nylon. "What's wrong with here?" he asked, giving her a cocky grin. "I think right here, right now, is perfect."

She eyed him, warning him. "People are…"

"Jealous," he said, kissing the sensitive skin of her neck. "People are fucking jealous." He nuzzled her for a moment and slipped a finger up the wet flesh he's finally reached. "Especially him," he laughed.

She moaned and whispered, "God, he's still there?"

"Yup." Elliot raised his eyes for a moment to shoot a glare at a man a few towels over, who had been following them, watching them, for the past two days. "He's watching us like a hungry hawk. An angry, hungry hawk."

She moaned as she felt his finger slip into her, and she gripped his arms. "El, don't. Not in front of him like this," she pleaded. She kissed him and nuzzled him, and she said, "Find out what the hell he wants."

He pulled his finger away from her, and as he looked into her eyes, he sucked it into his mouth, giving off a light moan. "Damn, you're delicious." He kissed her quickly and pushed himself up, off of her, and brushed the sand away. He turned, then, and headed for the man who'd been tailing them.

The man looked away quickly, trying to seem inconspicuous, and he heard Elliot say, "Don't even try to act like this is a coincidence."

"It is," the man spat, looking away from him. "I'm on a case, Stabler. I had no fucking clue you and Benson were gonna be here."

"Actually, uh, it's Stabler, now," Elliot said, holding up his left hand.

The man's face fell. "What? She…she married you?"

"She did," Elliot laughed. "I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't there, either." He folded his arms and said, "So, Porter, why the hell are you in the Bahamas?"

Dean Porter sighed. "I'm following a paper-trail. High-profile case, led me here. Don't flatter yourself, either. This has jack shit to do with you, so get the smirk off of your face."

"What case?" Elliot asked. "You're scaring the shit out my wife, so maybe, if you don't have to be around us for this…"

"I do," Porter hissed, his voice low. "Listen to me, this guy is out for blood, and it could be yours. He's been chasing people that had a hand in his…"

"Who?" Elliot asked, serious now. No grin. No smirk. Just fear and anger. "Who, Porter?"

Porter sighed and said, "You…ya know…why do you have to look at me like that?"

Elliot chuckled. "There is no case, is there, you ass?" he snapped, shaking his head. "You're trying to…"

"Fine," Porter interrupted. "You win. There's no case. I am on vacation. I am supposed to be meeting someone here, and when I saw the two of you get off the plane, I…I changed my plans. All right?"

"Why?" Elliot asked.

"Isn't obvious?" Porter asked, rolling his eyes. "I was gonna try to get her away from you, but I guess…" he stopped, and he looked at the towel where he knew Olivia had been laying. "Where'd she go?"

Elliot turned his head fast. "Liv?" he called. He walked over to their space and he looked around again. "Liv!" he yelled again.

"What?" she asked, behind him.

He turned fast and he sighed in relief. "Damn, baby, don't do that!"

She rolled her eyes and handed him a beer. "I went to get you a drink, a simple 'thank you, honey,' would be great."

He laughed and kissed her. "Thank you, honey."

"Better," she said with a grin. "So what's the story with Porter?" she asked, taking a sip of her own drink. She saw Elliot looking at her. "It's just a smoothie, do you wanna taste it?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "I trust you," he said as he kissed her forehead. "And Porter is here, supposedly, on vacation. But before that he was talking about some case, someone being after us or something, and I think he backtracked, so I don't know what to believe."

"I wouldn't believe anything he says," she told him, sipping her drink, then kissing him. "Ya know," she whispered against his lips. "Maybe if we're really quiet, and really still…"

"Oh, hell yes," he said without hearing the rest of her suggestion. He dropped his beer onto the small table near their towels, took the smoothie out of her hands and placed it next to his beer, then rushed them both onto the large beach towel beside them.

She laughed at his eagerness, and wondered for a moment why she'd gotten so bold. She moaned as he kissed her, running his hands along her body again, and her mind blanked out.

Porter, watching them, had a mind filled with thoughts. "I can't believe I have to do this," he said. "Sometimes, I really hate my job."

**A/N: What is Porter really doing there? And the last night of their honeymoon ends with a bang! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: "Don't marry the person you think you can live with; marry only the individual you think you can't live without." ~James C. Dobson**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.\**

Elliot sighed, a smile on his face, as he watched her slow, shallow breathing. He brushed some loose hair off of her face gently, tilted his head, and eased himself onto his side. He rested his head on his hand, propping himself up on his elbow, and his smile got bigger. He ran his fingers lightly over her arm, letting out another shaky sigh as he touched her. The contact send a shiver through his body.

"What are you doing?" she mumbled softly, barely understandable.

He chuckled. "Watching you sleep," he whispered.

"I'm not sure if that's sweet or creepy," she said, shuffling closer to him. She wrapped one arm around him and let out a deep sigh.

He laughed again. "You don't seem to mind, even if it is creepy," he said, holding her tight. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "You look like an angel when you're sleeping."

She mumbled into his chest, "So when I'm awake, what, I look like a…"

"An angel," he finished, giving the crown of her head another kiss. "Only awake." He trailed his lips over her forehead and whispered, "My angel."

She moaned softly and tilted her head up, blinking her eyes open. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby," he said with a dark look in his eyes. "I don't wanna go home."

"Neither do I," she said, "But we have to. The kids, work, the house…"

His lips cut her off. "No," he said softly. "We're still here, and we don't have to think about any of that yet." He kissed her again and ran his hand down her bare back, over the swell of her ass, and he cupped it, squeezed it.

She moaned into his mouth and followed his lead, giving into his demand and rolling onto him. She deepened their kiss, smoothed her hands over his chest, and let out a soft whimper.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking up at her.

She shook her head. "Nothing's wrong," she said, pecking a kiss to his chin. "I was just thinking…it is insane how I can go from sound asleep to wide awake and wanting you in a few seconds." She kissed his neck lightly. "You make me crazy."

"Just being fair," he panted, his breath quickening as she assaulted his neck with nibbles and kisses. "God, Liv, you…" he choked on his words and swallowed a groan.

She chuckled and rolled her hips, her slick slit slid up and over his stiffening member, making it twitch. She slid back down, coating him in her wetness, making him moan again. "You like that, huh?"

"You know I do," he murmured, turning his head to look up at her directly. "Almost as much as I liked taking you on the beach, in front of Porter, knowing he knew, and was watching." He growled as he bit at her lips. "I think he got the point."

"Which was?" she asked, lifting her body as he shifted, grabbed a hold of himself, and positioned at her entrance.

He moaned as she sank onto him, encasing him in her tight, wet heat. "Fuck, baby. That you're mine. I don't think there's any way he can doubt that now."

She let out some soft sounds, slowly rocking her body over his. "No one can," she said, bending her head to kiss him.

His hands flew to her chest, he cupped her breasts and rolled her nipples between his fingers as she moved. He thrust upward every time she moved back down, and they found a hot rhythm that made them sweat. One hand moved from her chest to her back, holding her. His lips latched onto the vacated nipple, and he heard her throaty moan.

"Oh, God," she cried, her hands gripping the sides of his head. She moved faster, as did he. Her head flew back as he thrust into her harder, held her tighter. Her back arched and she rolled her head to the side with a loud moan of his name. She scratched down his scalp and her eyes fluttered open.

"Liv?" he questioned, feeling that she'd stopped. "Liv, baby? You okay?" His words were breathy, he stroked her body slowly.

She nodded and looked down at him. "Thought I saw something out the window," she whispered. "By the door."

His head turned, but he felt her hands cupping his face and pulling him back. He blinked up at her, a question mark on his face.

She shook her head and kissed him. "Forget it," she whispered. "Make love to me."

"I love when you get demanding," he chuckled, thrusting upward again, hard. "Oh, God, make that noise again."

She gave a low moan, and when he hit into her again, her voice grew louder, a noise he'd never heard before tonight came out into the air of the room. "Jesus," she hissed, watching him as he latched onto her nipple again, sucking as if it was a straw.

"Mine," he said, though it was garbled by her nipple in his mouth. He bent upward as he followed her body, as she straightened up to ride him with more control, more power. He let her go and fell back onto the mattress, biting his lip as he watched her move.

She smirked at him, her head dropped back again, and her own hands danced along her body, teasing at her nipples. She knew he loved watching her like this, and she was certainly giving him a great show. "El," she moaned, "Oh, God, Elliot."

"Come on, baby," he coaxed, dragging his hand lower down her body, toward his waist, toward his dick thrusting into and out of her. "Cum for me, honey," he whispered roughly. He dragged his index finger around her sensitive, wet flesh, and he chuckled when her back arched.

The feeling of her skin being teased as he was pistoning into her drove her mad. She moaned his name loudly when he did it again, and she gasped when his thumb stroked over her clit. "Oh, God, El! Don't stop!"

"Don't plan to," he said gruffly, his hand working faster, his thumb moving in circles over her clit as his fingers splayed against her lips, stroking as he filled her. A triumphant grin was plastered on his face as he watched his new wife, his partner and friend for many years, losing all sense of control because of him. He gave him power, and he liked power.

She brought her head up and looked into his dark, hooded eyes, filled with lust and love. "El," she whispered. She bit her lip and moaned as he flicked his thumb faster, and her body tightened, her back arched, a wave of burning tingles washed over her.

He cursed under his breath as he felt her constricting around him and preventing him from moving. "Oh, baby," he moaned, his head falling backward as he tried to pull out. He made it a bit, then thrust back in, feeling her let go, hearing her loud cries, feeling her body wracking on top of his, her juices seeping down onto his body. The sensations all combined to bring him to a strong climax, and he shot into her, hot and fast.

"Oh, shit, El," she panted, dropping her head forward to watch his face as he let loose for her, into her. She smirked, loving this moment, every time.

He stopped moving and gripped her hips to stop her as well. He was gasping for air, blinking rapidly. He finally met her eyes, glassy and dilated, and he said, "You saw Porter."

She nodded. "Yeah," she breathed, falling forward onto him.

He chuckled and said, "I saw him, too, but…I didn't want to…"

"I didn't stop," she said, kissing his shoulder, her lips picking up the saltiness of his sweaty skin. "Did I?"

He shook his head. "No," he said. "But at least now we know why he's here. Cragen caved, and all I had to do was tell him how worried about you I was."

She chuckled. "You are, though."

"I am," he said, turning and kissing her. "And so is the FBI, apparently."

"You, too," she said, kissing him. "We're, uh, important enough to merit federal protection."

He laughed and said, "Well, this guy, baby, is not gonna get anywhere near us. I promise." He kissed the end of her nose, pulled her tight and said, "I love you."

She nuzzled into his chest, sighed and smiled, and she knew he was right. About everything.

**A/N: So who is the ex-perp that is after them? Will Dean get them? And what DID happen with Fin and Melinda? The last day of the honeymoon, next! Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: "It is not the physical acts of love that define what a marriage is. It is the silent admissions, the words that are said, and simply knowing that you are loved that make a marriage special."**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. TStabler© owns this story.**

He stood in the doorway, his arms folded, and he watched her as she packed her bags. The gentle rocking of the boat made her hips sway, and he moaned to himself.

"You would make a really shitty stalker," she said, smirking.

He chuckled and moved toward her, wrapping her in his arms. "I can't believe we're heading home. Two weeks just flew by."

She nodded and leaned back into his embrace. "We'll still be able to spend some time alone. Ya know, between cases, when the kids are sleeping."

He chuckled. "Yeah, that gives us a whole twenty minutes." He kissed the back of her neck and ran his hands down over her hips. He pulled her back into him, rubbing against her. "But we still have time, now."

She moaned and said, "We do."

"Porter's outside," he mumbled against her skin, tugging at her dress. "Something about that…knowing he can hear us, God, it makes me…"

"You're an asshole," she laughed. She turned around in his arms and said, "How much do you wanna piss him off, El? He's doing his job, and if someone's really after us…"

"I can protect us both from Morrow," he interrupted. "He's a wimp, baby! I almost killed him when we got him the first time."

She snickered. "You were pretty pissed," she said.

"Me? You're the one who threatened to make a smoothie out of his balls," he joked. "That's why he's after us. He wants you, because you're a woman, and you humiliated him. He's pissed at us because we cost him his 'slave', and seven years in jail does make a person crazy."

She rolled her eyes and chuckled, then kissed him. "I'm not worried about Morrow. And I couldn't care less about Porter," she said, leading him toward the bed. "I am, however, very much in love with my husband."

"I happen to know for a fact that he is very much in love with you, too," he whispered, bending his head and kissing her. He slid his hand down her body, up her dress, and he pulled down her panties slowly.

She bucked her hips, helping him, and she chuckled against his lips when he shimmied out of his shorts, using only one hand.

He moaned when she pulled open the buttons on his shirt and shoved it off of him. He kept one hand on her hip as he moved, easing into her with a soft grunt.

"Oh, God, El," she murmured, her head rolling, giving him access to her neck, which he eagerly took.

* * *

Beyond the door, Porter rolled his eyes. He could hear every moan, and every whisper. He could hear the mattress squeak as they moved, and he bit his lip as he tried like hell not to turn and look through the window. He blinked and rubbed the beads of sweat off of his brows. The combination of the summer heat, and the nerves built up from thinking about Olivia's naked and writhing body had gotten to him.

He opened his eyes as he gulped, trying to compose himself, and he heard her moan loudly. "Jesus," he mumbled, running a hand down his face.

"She sounds delicious, doesn't she?" a voice behind him said. "Makes you wonder if he's in there, showing her who's boss, giving it to her hard. Rough. Making it hurt, making her beg, treating her the way she deserves to be treated."

Porter turned, and his eyes narrowed.

"You want to know, don't you?" the man said, taking a step. "You want to know what it's like to make her beg for it, for mercy, for more or for less. You want to look into her eyes as you take from her what is rightfully yours."

"Morrow," Porter said, drawing his gun.

"You don't wanna shoot me," Morrow said, smirking. "I can get you what you want, you know I can."

Porter aimed, and he readied his gun to shoot. "What I want is your hands in the air, and step away from the door."

"I can get her for you," Morrow said, his voice low. "You know you want her."

"I want her," Porter said, closing one eye. "I want her safe, and happy, and I want you back in jail where you belong."

Morrow chuckled. "Someone else told me they wanted something they were never gonna have," he said. "And she's in there right now, being fucked by a man bigger, smarter, stronger, and faster than you. How does that make you…"

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Olivia asked, shocked out of her orgasmic state.

Elliot had popped up at the sound, too, forgetting all about his desperate need to cum and reaching toward the small dresser near the bed. He pulled open the drawer and grabbed his gun, and he slid out of her and out of the bed. "Stay here," he said to her, pulling on a pair of sweatpants. He opened the door slowly, looked out, and gasped. "Jesus Christ!"

"What?" she asked from the bed, the sheets pulled up around her. She wrapped herself up and moved off the mattress, taking the sheets with her. "What is it?"

"Stay there," he said, holding an arm out. "Don't come out here like that." He knelt over and looked at Porter. "What happened?"

"He pissed me off," Dean said, shrugging. "He was reaching for something, I thought it was a gun…"

"Was he?" Elliot asked, his eyes narrow and his voice low.

Porter sighed. "No," he admitted. "He was…he was planning on…"

"I know he was," Elliot interrupted. He looked at Porter and he nodded once. "Thank you."

Porter nodded back and said, "Just doing my job."

"It's more than that," Elliot said. "As long as you…"

"I would never try to come between the two of you," Porter said. "Not now, not after…not after watching you all week."

Elliot slapped a hand to Porter's back, nodding again. "If anyone asks me, uh, he was reaching for something. You thought it was a gun, you shot him."

"Thanks," Porter said. "I'm sure they'll need to talk to you and Olivia in a while so…" he trailed off, then offered Elliot a smile, and though it was a far cry from friendship, it was a truce. A mutual agreement to stop competing, Dean conceded to Elliot once and for all, admitting defeat. Elliot rose and left Dean to deal with the boats security, slipping back through the door to his room, to Olivia.

"What happened?" she asked, watching him slip back out of his sweats.

He shook his head and said, "We don't have to worry about Morrow anymore. Or Porter." He tugged on the sheets, pulling them away from her body, and he said, "We just have to worry about each other now."

She almost caved, but held him back and asked, "What happened?"

He sighed. "Porter shot him. Right in the head. He was gonna hurt you. Try to, anyway, and Porter just…"

"El," Olivia whispered, moving closer to him, "He shot him? This could have ruined his…"

"I know," he whispered, kissing her. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, pulling the sheet over both of them. He held her tight, knowing that nothing more needed to be said. Nothing needed to be done. The small act of holding her was enough to keep her warm, safe, loved.

She snuggled closer to him, pressed her lips to his chest, and whispered, "You wouldn't have let him get very far."

"Nope." He kissed her forehead and trailed his hands down her body, turning her over to wrap her tighter. He flattened his palms over her stomach and kissed the back of her neck, pecking his way to the patch between her shoulder blades. "What do you think?"

She sighed and smiled, and she leaned back into him. "I think there's a definite possibility," she whispered.

He chuckled and kissed her shoulder again, and he murmured unintelligibly into her ear. He sighed and kissed her neck, and they stayed silent, entwined, taking synchronized breaths. This was love, he knew it.

She smiled and sunk deeper into his arms, feeling his heart beat strongly against her back. She moaned quietly, her eyes drifted shut, and she knew without a doubt that the man holding her would hold her forever.

The shrill ring of his cell phone disturbed their intimate moment, and he groaned as he rolled away from Olivia to answer the call. "Stabler," he spat, "And this better not be about…Melinda? Yeah…she's right here. Hold on." He handed the phone to Olivia with a question in his eyes.

She furrowed her brow and took his phone, lifted it to her ear, and said, "Mel, it's me. What…okay, calm down. It's…no you didn't interrupt…stop crying." She shot Elliot a concerned look. "Oh. Oh, honey, he's not…he loves you. You just have to…breathe, Mel. I will. Okay, he will call Fin and find out what…you have to calm down for me, Mel."

Elliot ran a hand down his face, and he knew that Fin had made a mess of things again. He would be the one who had to call and fix it, like always, because he was always good with stable relationships. He missed the rest of the conversation his wife was having with Melinda, and he took the phone away from her when she hung up. "What happened now?"

"She's pregnant," she told him. "Fin's flipping out because the baby is only eight months old, and…"

"I'll call him," he interrupted, kissing her. "I am so thankful that we will never end up like that."

She smiled and said, "Me, too." She leaned back against the headboard of their boat room, watching him dial Fin's number, and she sighed. Their last night alone together was now being spent fixing their friends' relationships and dealing with a crime scene just beyond their door. She laughed, and she folded her arms. If this was as bad as it got for them, then she was going to be just fine.

The boat rocked a bit, her stomach lurched, and she ran, naked, into their bathroom.

Elliot smiled knowingly. "Fin?" he said into the phone, still watching the bathroom door. "It's me." He listened to Fin talk, only partly. His mind was somewhere else. His mind was on Olivia, and the baby he knew was growing within her. He narrowed his eyes at something Fin said, and he wondered how someone could be so unhappy about having children with the woman he loves. Then he understood. Then he realized. He interrupted Fin then. "It's not yours, is it?"

Olivia gasped from behind him, making him turn. She watched him raise a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet, and he pulled her into his arms, another silent promise. She squeezed him tight, promising him the same thing in return.

**A/N: When they get home, they get a few surprises from the kids, from Kathy, from Cragen, and from…a doctor? Review here, or on Twitter.**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Love and Marriage, all you need. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story belongs to TStabler**

"Open the door," Olivia said, chuckling as Elliot tickled her on the landing of their house. "El, come on, baby. I'm tired, I'm…stop it! Just open the door."

Elliot laughed, then sighed as he let her go. He turned the knob and said, "Don't go in yet."

She raised an eyebrow at him, then yelped a bit when he lifted her into his arms. "What are you doing?"

"Carrying you over the threshold," he said, stepping into the foyer with her cradled in his arms. "Duh."

She rolled her eyes and let out a deep breath as he dropped her gently to the floor, and she watched as he went to get their luggage off of the porch with a smile on his face. She turned, looking at the house, and she realized that it was strangely quiet. "El?"

"Yeah?" he replied, setting the bags in the corner of the foyer and closing the door.

"Where are the kids?" she asked, tilting her head.

He stopped in his tracks, narrowed his eyes, then walked toward the stairs. "Maureen? Katie?"

There was no answer.

He moved up three steps, then called, "Dickie? Lizzie? Guys?"

Olivia walked toward him, her arms folded. "They should be home, right? I mean, school got out over two hours ago, and…"

"Call," he said, turning to her. "Call Maureen, I'll call Katie. They're probably…"

"We're right here," Lizzie's voice declared.

Both Elliot and Olivia turned their heads and their eyes widened. "What is that?" Elliot asked, pointing.

The kids, standing together in front of the archway to the living room, appeared to be hiding something. "Oh, this? Well, uh, it's a welcome home present," Maureen explained.

"From Mom," Kathleen added.

Dickie had a smirk on his face, and with folded arms, he said, "I think she knows something we don't know."

The kids moved aside and revealed a beautiful mahogany crib, filled with clothes, bottles, and stuffed animals. Elliot's mouth dropped and he slowly made his way over to the kids. He gave each child a hug, then stood in front of the crib. "Guys, I don't know where your mother got the idea that…"

"She said Liv told her," Lizzie interrupted, laughing.

Olivia defended, "I told her I thought there was a possibility. I never said I was."

"Well, Liv, Kathy is pretty much an expert on my child-producing capability," Elliot said. "She probably assumes that if you think you are, then you are."

She shook her head and looked into the crib, wrapping one arm around Lizzie and the other around Kathleen. "I missed you guys, so much," she said, closing her eyes. "We both did."

"We missed you, too," Maureen said, leaning over to give Olivia a hug. "And we, uh, talked about it. Ya know. You and Dad having a kid."

"We think it's cool," Dickie said, punching his father playfully in the arm. "As long as it's a boy."

Elliot chuckled. "Hey, as long as it's healthy, and its mine, I don't care if it's a boy or a girl."

Olivia's eyes shot to his face, he was serious. She was beyond touched, and fell in love with him a little bit more. "Okay," she said with a sniffle. "Go get washed up and changed for dinner."

"Dinner?" Kathleen asked. "We're really gonna go out for dinner? You just got off a plane!"

"Yeah," Elliot said. "Which is why neither one of us wants to cook," he chuckled.

The kids kissed their father and Olivia on the cheeks, and then they raced up the stairs, toward their bedrooms.

Olivia watched them go before turning back to look at the crib. She ran a hand along the edge and looked up at Elliot. "It's beautiful."

"It's the one we used for Maureen," he said, sniffling. "And then Kathleen. We put it in storage when we had the twins. I can't believe she…" He paused and shook his head. "Guess this means we have to get a definitive answer, huh?"

"I'll go see a doctor," she said. "Before work tomorrow. I can take a half…"

"We can," he interjected. "I wanna be there. I wanna go with you."

She kissed the end of his nose, smiled, and said, "Okay. We'll go."

"Tomorrow," he whispered, running his hands over her hips and around to her belly. "God, if you're…"

She silenced him with a kiss. She knew he'd be more than thrilled, and she knew that it would mean every dream she'd ever had would be coming true, thanks to him. She didn't want to think about it too much. She didn't want to get her hopes up, because she knew the pain of disappointment. She just hoped that she would never have to disappoint Elliot.

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Fin asked, watching Olivia and Elliot walking into the squad room. They were three hours late.

Elliot, though, smiled at him. "How are you, man? You and Melinda work things out?"

Fin raised an eyebrow. "Uh, yeah. Kid's mine. Are you…are you okay?"

"Great," he said with a chuckle. "I am absolutely perfect. I had an amazing time on my honeymoon with my amazing wife. We came home and spent some time with my amazing kids, and we just got some amazing news."

Munch looked up and folded his arms. "You finally found out where the real Area Fifty-One is?"

"Um, no," Olivia said, laughing. "That would be amazing news for you. We, uh, we actually just found out…"

"Guys, I'm gonna be a daddy!" Elliot said, pulling Olivia into his arms with a loud, hearty, guffaw. "We're having a baby."

Fin's eyes widened, Munch's mouth dropped, and a voice behind them, one they hadn't heard in a very long time, yelled, "What?"

Everyone turned, staring at a very pale looking Casey Novak. "You…you're…what?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes, but kept his grip on Olivia firm. "Well, thanks for being happy for us, Case."

Casey shook her head, walking toward them. "I'm in shock. I honestly thought, I mean I really thought that…I didn't think…"

"You thought I'd run," Olivia said. "You actually thought I'd leave him?"

Casey shook her head and blinked twice. "I just…you always do, so…"

"How are things with you and Ryan?" Elliot asked, his voice harsh. "You haven't brought home any other third-party-lovers, have you?"

Casey narrowed her eyes. "No," she spat. "We are just fine. Alex and Trevor are doing great, now, too."

"We know," Olivia said. "I talked to Alex yesterday." She tugged herself out of Elliot's grasp and said, "So you're here because…"

"Because you've got a case heading to court tomorrow," Casey said. "Fin has to testify, and the girl is supposed to be here for prep…"

"She's in the conference room with her mother," Fin said. "I'll be right there."

Casey nodded at him, shot another glare at Olivia and Elliot, then turned and walked into the other room.

Fin cleared his throat and rose out of his seat. "She's just pissy because Ryan doesn't want to try for kids, yet. He still…"

"He doesn't completely trust her," Olivia said, nodding. "Understandable."

"She's happy for ya," Fin told them. "Really. I am, too. That's great. Congrats," he said, slapping Elliot's back. He smiled at the pair and then walked toward the conference room.

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other and sighed. He rested a hand on the small of her back and said, "We have to talk to Cragen. Tell him what happened with Porter and Morrow, and about the baby. You need to be put on a desk, and I…"

"Slow down," she laughed, cupping his face. "One thing at a time, El."

He laughed, pulling her toward Cragen's office. "I'm nervous about telling him. I am. This…this is kind of scary."  
"You don't have to tell me," Cragen said, standing in front of them in his office doorway. "I already know."

**A/N: The final chapter is next. :/ Review?**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Love and Marriage are eternal. This story is not.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. Story belongs to TStabler**

Elliot looked at his captain with wide eyes as he pushed Olivia into the office and closed the door. "What do you...how do you..."

Cragen folded his arms. "I was a cop before you were even a twinkle in your mother's eye, Stabler. Ten years on the force, fifteen as a detective...I think I know how to tell what's going on with my team."

Olivia looked up, then, and shook her head slightly. "But we only just found out, so how could you possibly..."

"You two are brilliant detectives," the captain interrupted. "You're also the most sickeningly sweet couple I have ever met. I knew before you left that you would come back with...news."

"So what are you gonna do?" Elliot asked, stiffening up a bit as his left hand reached out for Olivia's right. He squeezed.

Cragen tilted his head. "What do you think I should do?" He held up a hand as Elliot's mouth opened. "Think about it from a professional standpoint. Put personal feelings and relationships aside, and you're me, okay? You find out that two of your detectives, for whom you have already broken a hundred rules and codes, walk into your office and tell you they're having a baby."

"I'm you," Elliot said. "But no way in hell am I imagining that you and Liv..."

"Shut up and listen!" Cragen snapped with a small chuckle. "These two detectives are partners, can't work too well with others, would pissed the fuck off if they were split up. Yet you know that in her condition it's not smart to let her run loose around the city with a gun and chase after people who have almost killed her before." He looked pointedly at Elliot, as if trying to make him truly understand. "It's not just her life at stake anymore. It's the life of a tiny child, a new life that has not yet had the chance to breathe, or see, or meet its wonderful family."

A tear rolled down Elliot's cheek as he stared open-eyed at Cragen.

"You're choice, Captain," Cragen said, half-serious. "Do you keep them together for the sake of their professionalism, or do you do what you know you have to do for the sake of their child?"

Elliot sniffled. He turned his head and saw the same slow tears running down Olivia's cheek. He nodded and said, "I guess we...I guess we don't have a choice now."

Olivia shook her head and dropped her face into his shoulder.

Cragen took a breath. "So it's settled. Until this kid is born, happy and healthy, Benson's behind a desk. Administrative duties, to be performed in and for the next six months, then you're taking off, I assume?"

Olivia lifted her head and nodded. "What kind of administrative...I'm a secretary now?"

Cragen laughed. "Hardly," he said with a small scoff. "You'll be filing claims and investigating open cases within the..."

"Hold on," Elliot interrupted. "You've got her working with IAB? You know Tucker is a piece of..."

"Now you really think I would leave her alone with Tucker for more than seven seconds? You don't know me at all, do you, Stabler?" He cocked an eyebrow. "What good is keeping the mother and child safe if the father's out there risking his ass?"

Elliot's eyes narrowed, and he looked at Olivia, who was staring at him looking just as confused. "So you're saying..."

The door creaked open behind them, and their heads turned. Their mouths dropped.

"Don't say I never did you any favors," the man in the doorway sniped. Then he smiled. "Congratulations on the kid," he said. "I hope, for your sake, it doesn't take after its father."

"Thanks," Elliot scoffed bitterly.

"Hey," the man said, coming in and sitting down. "I'm stepping down for you so you two can play Good-Cop-Bad-Cop with the big boys upstairs, I'm entitled to one or two digs, ain't I?"

Elliot gave a soft chuckle, squeezed Olivia's hand again, and said, "Yeah, Ed. I guess you are."

Cragen looked on as the two men, sworn enemies, shook hands for the first time in years. He smiled and folded his arms. This was going to be good for everyone. Everyone, he thought, except him. He'd miss them very much, but hoped, as things like this usually were, that it was just temporary.

* * *

"So that means no more midnight cases?" Lizzie asked, taking the bowl of mashed potatoes from Olivia.

"Not unless there's an officer involved crime going down in the middle of the night," Elliot answered, handing his son the plate of chicken.

Maureen looked up. "So you'll be home? Every night?"

"Like your father said, unless there's a case we need to be involved with, we'll be..."

"And you're both okay with that?" Kathy asked, at the other end of the table, sitting beside a grumbly looking Brian Cassidy. "You two are born workaholics. Getting Elliot to take a night off was usually like pulling teeth. This is gonna be okay?"

Elliot nodded as his fork slipped between his lips. "We're gonna need the rest, the sleep...this is Olivia's first child, so she's gonna need me here with her in the middle of the night when she gets sick or..."

"Okay, we don't need any strong visuals," Cassidy interjected, jabbing his fork into his chicken. "Gotta be honest, I honestly thought you'd come back from your honeymoon hating each other, begging for a divorce."

"Why?" Olivia asked, mildly offended.

As Cassidy chewed, he shrugged. "You two have grating personalities, you get on each others nerves, you fight like rabid wolves, I thought two weeks alone together would drive you both nuts."

Elliot laughed. "She bugs the crap outta me sometimes, but I wouldn't want anyone else annoying me. We used to really push each others buttons, but that was just tension. Now, we're...we're just...happy."

Olivia smiled when Elliot leaned over to wrap an arm around her. She moaned ever-so-softly when he kissed her.

"Okay, we're eating. I'd like to keep my food down," Dickie barked, rolling his eyes.

Elliot and Olivia chuckled, then Olivia turned to Kathy. "Thank you for the crib, by the way. It's beautiful."

Kathy shrugged. "I know it's got a lot of sentimental meaning for Elliot. His first child spent her first night home in that thing, and I knew he would want to have his first...his first child with you..." She stopped as her bottom lip trembled. "He'd want that baby to do the same."

Brian looked at her as if she had five heads, but Olivia and Elliot gave her soft smiles. "Thank you," Elliot said, nodding at her.

Kathy sniffled and nodded back. "Family," she said. "That's what family does."

Olivia's heart melted a bit, and she felt her nose burning. She got up from the table fast and bolted to the bathroom, leaving everyone stunned.

"Um, I guess...I'll go..." Elliot mumbled as he pointed in her direction and got out of his seat. He walked down the hall and didn't bother knocking before walking into the bathroom. "Baby, what just happened?"

She turned, meeting his blue eyes with her red and puffy ones. "She just said...I thought she still..."

"She never hated you," he whispered. "She was jealous, pissed off, wanted to punch you in the face, but she never hated you." He kissed her forehead. "She knows you had nothing to do with our divorce. Well, almost nothing, I mean we never did anything while..."

"I know, thanks," she interrupted. "I was there."

He laughed and kissed her tears away. "See, it's moments like this that make me realize why I loved her. And moments like this that remind me, in the most powerful of ways, why I love you."

She smiled at him and leaned closer. "Why?"

"You have the biggest heart in the world, you are touched so deeply by the smallest of things, and you've got the most amazing ass I have ever seen in my life."

She laughed harder and he squeezed her tighter, and they kissed right there in the middle of the bathroom. Long, slow strokes of touching tongues, lips pressing firmly together before pulling gently apart, and two hearts tightening the knot that had already bound them together.

She pulled back a bit and looked up at him, seeing a gleam in his eyes. She tilted her head and smirked. "Really?"

"Oh, yeah," he said, his voice low. "Just be quiet," he teased in whisper, running a hand up the hem of her shirt. He popped the button on her black pants, and he chuckled softly.

"Your ex-wife is out there," she whispered, sucking in a breath as he lowered the zipper on her slacks.

"So's your ex-boyfriend," he countered. "And our kids." His lips dropped to her neck as he lowered her pants, and he heard a thud.

Her head hitting the back of the tiled wall. "They're gonna wonder..."

"No they're not," he said softly, nipping at her skin as he slid down her panties. "They know that when you cry, baby, it's like flood gates have opened."

She chuckled as he began working on his own pants, and she took a deep breath and let her eyes close. She was in her bathroom, in her house, with her husband, pregnant with her first child. The first of many she was sure.

It all seemed to hit her so fast. Everything she had ever wanted, hoped, or prayed for was in her grateful hands, and she would hold on tightly forever. "El?" she whispered as he lined himself up with her, against the wall.

He stilled. He looked at her. "What, honey?"

"I love you," she said, all that needed to be said now, and ever, to make the world around her brighter.

He smiled as he moved, slowly inching into her. As he slid her right leg around his body he whispered, "I love you, too, baby."

He kept it slow, deep, and never let his eyes wander from hers. He had wanted her for years, and now, here she was, loving him so passionately and safely entombing his child.

It took a long time to reach this place, and they were both thankful that all it took was a little bit of marriage.

And a whole lot of love.

**A/N: End. Look out for another update, and possibly a new long-form story, coming soon. Thank you for reading and all of your support. **


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